Love And Hardship In Domino High
by Masami Mistress Of Fire
Summary: AU Yaoi YxY full summary inside Yuugi and Mai are new students at Domino High. Yami quickly develops feelings for his 'twin' and the two start dating. Mai is extremely protective of Yuugi and always follows them around. Why doesn't Mai trust Yami?
1. Yuugi and Mai

Masami: Ok! Let's get this going!

Yuugi: How's my hair?

Hair dresser: it's fine. I think you're all set!

Yuugi: n.n

Yami: Damn it! Masami, where the hell's my jacket!

Masami: (rolls eyes) check the wardrobe storage!

Bakura: (reading script) Hey Masami, what's my character's motivation?

Masami: Are you kidding me! Bakura, we've been through this before! Come on people! Let's get it together! Wait a second . . . where the hell is Jou!

Jou: (comes out of closet) uhh . . . sorry I'm late

Masami: (rolls eyes) Kaiba! I thought I warned you! No off stage sex without my consent or my vide camera being there!

Seto: n.n

Yuugi: Oo

Yami: (wears jacket like a cape)

Masami: put it on properly Yami! Ok! Since everyone's here-

Yuugi: Mai isn't here.

Masami: Oh my god! Kujaku! Get your ass on stage right now!

(Toilet flushes)

Mai: (comes out of bathroom) well excuse me for using the bathroom!

Masami: look, I don't care about your bladder problems! Now everyone get into place!

(Students gather into their assigned cliques.)

Masami: ok! Background action!

(Students start quietly chattering)

Masami: Yami get into your desk!

(Yami sits in his desk and reviews lines at last moment)

Masami: ok! Damion, read out the legend and the summary.

Damion: Legend:

"Verbal communication"

'Thinking' 

XxX Scene change

Disclaimer: Masami no own YGO so you sue! . . ………I mean no sue!

Summary: Motou Yuugi and Kujaku Mai are new students at Domino High school. Atemu Yami soon develops feelings for his 'twin' and the two start dating. Mai is extremely protective of Yuugi and never lets them be alone. Why doesn't she trust Yami? A dark secret hides in Yuugi's and Mai's past. Will Yami and his friends ever find out or can Mai continue to lie and keep it from them?

Seto: wow….that's one hell of a long summary!

Masami: ok! remember, this is all in Yami's POV here. And . . . ACTION! ROLL CAMERA!

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Duel One: Yuugi and Mai

  
_Monday_

( Yami's POV )

I sighed deeply as I stared out the window of my second story History class. The most I could see was the top of the Sakura tree in the courtyard. Its blossoms were not yet in full bloom, but even with out the flowers it was still beautiful.

I waited rather impatiently for first period to start. History wasn't exactly one of my favorite classes, but my friends always made it more interesting. Speaking of which, they're late again.

_'Hey, this is Jou and Honda. Those two slackers haven't been on time for a single thing in their lives to this day! They were even born two days late!'_

Ok, bad joke and it wasn't true. But I had to laugh a bit at it. I heard the door slid open and I looked over and smiled.

Jou and Honda were joking around the instant they stepped inside. Their faces were all ready red from laughing so much.

Everyone was shaking their heads and laughing at bit at them. By now, they were used to it. But most of them just couldn't help but pity them. It was a fake pity so they didn't care.

Through a struggling gasp, Honda chocked out, "And I said to him . . ."

He made this strange growling noise that made Jou fall to the floor as he laughed. ( Me: lmfao Honda! (my friend named Tristan! I call him Honda and that's our joke! I absolutely had to use it! )

I didn't quiet understand the joke but I was sure it was funny. Jou took his seat beside me as Honda sat behind Jou.

To settle himself, Jou took a deep breath and wiped away a few tears. "Hey Yami. What's up?"

I smiled at him. "Not much. Where's Kaiba? He's usually the first one here."

"He had to take care of something at Kaiba Corp." Jou ran a hand through his mop of blonde hair. "He should be here tomorrow though."

Honda shook his head. "Attending High school, taking care of his little brother, running Kaiba Corp., _and_ managing a relationship all at once? I don't know how he does it sometimes."

Jou smirked. "That's Seto for ya! Always multitasking, ne?"

"So does that mean that saying is true?"

He blinked. "What saying, Yami?"

"Who we are in life is who we are in bed."

Jou turned a bright red shade as we laughed at him.

About ten minutes later the bell rang and our teacher walked into the room. "All right, minna-san, settle down."

The laughter and conversations died down and every one sat in their desks.

"Good morning." The class respectfully echoed his greeting, save for the students in the back right corner of the room. "I trust all of you finished questions one through twenty in chapter three that are due for today?"

Groans of discord filled the room.

"No?" Morita-san blinked in mock surprise. "I gave you three days to get it done!"

He whistled and shook his head. "That doesn't bode well for your final mark."

Many of the students playfully glared at Morita-san's almost singsong tone.

He sighed. "I don't know about some of you. But unfortunately, I'm not allowed to extend the due date so hand them in now or else."

Morita-san sat behind his desk and grinned a bit and most of the students trudged towards his desk.

I slowly stood up with a crumpled booklet in my hand.

I saw him smile as soon as I stood in front of his desk.

"Ah, Atemu-san! It's always such a pleasure to . . . correct your work."

I gave him an annoyed, mocking look and threw the papers down on his desk. However, the booklet (that I unknowingly tossed to the bottom of by book bag) had lost its crispness and lightly floated down.

He stared at the crumpled rectangle. "Mmm hmm!"

I rolled my eyes and returned to my desk. I saw Jou snickering so I growled at him deep in my throat. A few surrounding students hid a laugh behind their hands as I scoffed.

The lesson began. I only paid half my attention to what he was saying. As long as it looked like I was listening and writing things occasionally, he wouldn't know the difference.

In a way, I did want to learn about our country's history but not so early in the morning! It seemed so unfair! How can they expect us to think this near to the beginning of the day?

We're teenagers, for the love of Kami!

(A/N: if he thinks he has it bad, try having Math first thing everyday on the top floor of your school when your locker is in the basement! In summer it was always so hot! x.x' I'm surprised I even passed that class since it's the one I always do the worst in!)

When I tuned in to the lesson (having at least _some_ thinking capacity) I looked at the clock to find it was only half way through class. I started counting the minutes until it was over, but I was interrupted.

Morita-san cleared his throat. "Atemu-san?"

I looked over at him and saw that he had stopped the lesson and was staring right at me along with the rest of the class. Kuso! I've been caught!

I stood up. "Gomen nasai, Morita-san. I was just counting the minutes until class was over."

"Why? Do you have a hot date with someone after my class?"

The class laughed and my face turned a bit red. "No sir."

"Then how 'bout you pay attention until then? And if you still want to court someone then I'll give you some flowers to give to your special someone."

Every one burst out laughing. I glared at him a bit and sat down.

There was a timid knock on the door. Morita-san walked over to it and stepped outside for a moment.

When he came back in, he had a small smile on his face and it wasn't from the joke he made about me. At least, I'm pretending that it's not.

"Minna-san, please quiet down." They just became rowdier. "Minna-san!"

No one was listening.

"Shut up!" He abruptly shouted. Every one visibly flinched. Morita-san was never the kind to shout.

But at least it worked. Every one was silent and let him speak.

"Thank you! Now, I forgot to tell you, but we're getting a new classmate today." A few quiet murmurs echoed in the class. "When he's talking I only want to hear his voice. Be nice to him and don't throw any rude comments at him."

I noticed he was looking at Ushio when he said that.

"This is his first time at this school so he doesn't know any body here. Get to know him. You all know what it's like being a first timer, and no I don't mean sex."

Scattered laughter through the room meant a few people were thinking that.

Morita-san slid the door open all the way and beckoned the new student in. The instant my eyes fell upon his face, I gasped. I wasn't the only one apparently.

But Jou and Honda did it for another reason.

"Yami, he looks just like you!"

I blinked. Could he really?

No, it's impossible! There's no way I look like such an angel. He was absolutely beautiful! I suppose I looked all right, but this new student . . . it felt like I was staring at a wingless seraph.

I saw that he was hugging his binder and a history textbook to his chest, well, it was more like he was clutching them, but he still looked absolutely terrified.

I came out of my daze when Morita-san stood beside me and leaned against the wall.

"Well, why don't you introduce yourself to us?"

He nodded his head and took a deep breath to settle his nerves. I saw his lean body shaking a bit and I couldn't take my eyes away from him.

"M-my name is Motou Yuugi and . . . I'm from Nagano. Um . . . I moved here a few days ago from . . . N-Nagano."

I vaguely heard Ushio laugh a bit at how he stuttered and repeated his hometown twice. My hate for him increased. How could he make fun of such a beautiful creature?

Morita-san nodded. "That's where the 1998 Olympics were held."

(Me: It's true! My mom told me everyone kept on saying the city's name wrong too! n.n silly people who can't pronounce Japanese cities! Then again, I probably can't either :P)

Yuugi bobbed his head a bit. That was when I noticed why Jou had said that I looked like him.

We had almost exactly the same hair!

The only big difference between us (beside eye colour and voice) was his height. He looked to be about a head shorter then me and I swear I thought he was ten years old! They weren't letting children attend Domino High School were they?

"Want me to get you those flowers now, Atemu-san?"

I jumped a bit when I heard Morita-san's voice right beside my ear. He must have seen me staring!

I blushed brightly and sunk further into my desk.

He stood up straight and patted the desk before mine. "You can sit right here in front of Atemu-san."

He bowed deeply to our sensei. "Arigatou, Morita-san."

I couldn't take my eyes off him as Yuugi slowly made his way toward me. Well, to his desk, but it was still in my direction!

I gaped at how his slender body moved. He had a kind of grace with each movement made.

I gulped, as he stood right next to me. Our eyes met and everything seemed to stop.

It's as if nothing existed but Yuugi and myself. Time froze to let this moment of our first real look at each other last forever.

His deep pools of amethyst made me feel so at peace and calm. But at the same time, I was excited and almost fearful. I've never felt so . . . so . . .

"Um . . . e-excuse me . . . Atemu-san?"

I love the way he said my name. It sent a tingle down my spine. His voice alone was enough to-

"Atemu-san, would you mind removing your feet from Motou-san's chair?" Morita-san asked.

"Oh! Um . . ." I shook my head. "Sure."

The bottom of my slippers connected with the floor. ( 1 ) He bowed and thanked me before sitting down.

Morita-san explained to him what he was just teaching us.

I blinked several times before my eyes could focus again.

It was as if his beauty had blinded me worse then staring straight at the sun. I took slow, quiet, deep breaths to try and get my breathing back to normal. I could feel my heart pounding harder then a war drum. My blood was racing through me like an electric shock to my heart.

It was absolutely incredible. I've never felt like this before!

I stared at the back of his head all class. After some time, I felt the initial burning sensation slowly start to subside.

All that was left ten minutes before class ended was this strange warmth in my stomach. My mouth was dry so I asked if I could get a drink.

Any one who would have watched me probably would have thought that I had swallowed an entire ocean. But I couldn't help it. I drank the fresh, cool water with such greed, as I had never known before.

Finally coming up for air, I panted like a marathon runner.

I don't know why, but I couldn't get Yuugi's face out of my mind. Every though that came to me was about him. And once again, I had lost all saliva as I imagined-

No! I can't think like that! Not now! Taking another gallon or two of water, I returned to class.

I quietly sighed as I sat behind him once more.

"All right class, you have your partners, so get started on the project tonight. It's due next Monday and I expect it to be better then your last one." Morita-san lowered his voice. "Let's not have a 'Tokyo Tower of Mashed Potatoes' reenactment."

Jou and Honda cleared their throats tried to sink into their seats.

I clearly remember _that_ little incident. Mashed Potatoes flew everywhere when the 'tower' fell over! I couldn't get those spuds out of my hair for two hours!

Most of us couldn't help but look back on that and laugh. Although, others just glared at the pair.

"Katsuya-san? Hiroto-san? I trust your project will _not_ involve food this time?"

They simply nodded as the bell rang.

"Remember, minna-san! Due next Monday! That's in a week so get started!"

I slowly stood up after Yuugi. But my attention was turned to my friends when I was tapped on the shoulder.

"Hey Yami, what's up? You never drink the school water." Jou said apprehensively. "You always said it tasted like rat poison!"

Damn my friends for being so perceptive!

"Hey gimmie a break! I just needed a drink, ok?"

Honda scratched his head. "Why? Did you spend an hour in the desert before you got to class?"

I groaned. "No, all right? I was thirsty! Sheesh! Apparently I missed the meeting where it was agreed that drinking from a school fountain was illegal!"

I turned around quickly but bummed into something. Or more like some_one_.

I gasped as I saw Yuugi sitting on the floor. His textbook had fallen to the floor along with him just to his left.

"Gomen nasai, Atemu-san!" He quickly got to his knees and bowed down so far his forehead was touching the floor.

I shared confused and shocked looks with my friends. What was he doing? I know bowing is meant to be respectful, but this was almost ridiculous!

I knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. Why did he back away from me a little?

"Hey, it's ok. _I_ bumped into _you_. You don't have to bow like I'm some sort of pharaoh."

He shook his head. "No. I have to bow to my superiors."

I gasped. "What? Yuugi, I am in no way superior to you."

"Yuugi!"

I looked up when I heard a female's voice. She must have been a new student as well because her face wasn't familiar to me.

She wore the girl's uniform but with the sleeves rolled up to her shoulders. She was very attractive and had an air of compassion around her.

She had long blonde hair down to her waist and bright violet eyes. They were deeper then Yuugi's but still similar in shade. In these eyes, I saw immense concern.

Instantly, she pushed me away and cradled Yuugi in her arms.

"Yuugi, what's wrong? What happened?" She glared at me. "What did you do to him!"

I flinched at her sudden change in tone. It went from a soft, gentle voice when directed to Yuugi to a harsh, hateful shriek with me.

Jou spoke for me.

"He didn't do anything, miss. He accidentally bumped into Yuugi and he fell to the floor. That's all."

I could see her violet irises scanning Jou's face for any trace of fabrication.

Then she turned to the boy in her arms. "Yuugi, is that true? Is that _all_ that happened?"

He silently nodded. "Yes." He replied just above a whisper.

She sighed. For the second time, she glared at me. "It had better be."

The girl helped Yuugi stand and grabbed his fallen textbook. He retrieved his bag, all the while staring at the floor. Or at least, he never made eye contact.

"Gomen nasai, Atemu-san."

She stopped him from bowing again. "Don't apologize to him, Yuugi. I'm sure he didn't mean to and I'm also sure the _he_ is the one who really wants to say that he's sorry."

She made it blatantly obvious of what she wanted me to do. And of course I wanted to apologize! I practically scare him to death and I just walk away? I don't think so!

"She's right, you know. And I am very sorry, Yuugi. I didn't mean to push you down like that. I should have watched where I was going. Can you forgive me?"

After a long silence he nodded his head.

I smiled even though he never saw it. I turned it to a frown.

"You're not hurt are you?"

He shook his head. "No, Atemu-san. I'm fine."

The girl held his shoulders and turned him. "Come on, Yuugi. We don't want to be late for science."

I blinked. "Do you two have science with Yamashita-san?"

She turned and glared suspiciously at me. "Hai, we do. Why?"

"Well, that's my next class so why don't I escort you two?"

I could tell she didn't like the idea. But that's when I saw Yuugi. He was almost looking up and . . . blushing?

The girl saw this as well and lost her seemingly permanent glare. She still wasn't happy about it, but at least she wasn't leering at me any more.

"Very well. I don't know where the classroom is any way. Thank you, sir."

I stuck out my hand. "I'm Atemu Yami. This is Katsuya Jounouchi and Hiroto Honda."

She accepted my hand and held it with a very tight grip. "My name is Kujaku Mai. You all ready know Yuugi."

I winked at him to see what kind of reaction I would get. I smiled when I saw his blush deepen.

Mai squeezed my hand almost to the point of breaking my bones. She obviously didn't like me very much.

After the strangest introduction I've ever been in, I walked with Mai and Yuugi to room 203.

"So how do you two know each other?"

Yuugi was about to answer but Mai put a hand on his shoulder. "That's none of your business."

I blinked. Apparently, it was very personal. "Gomen, Mai-san. I shouldn't have been so rude."

She nodded once and we continued on our way.

Upon arrival to the science room, Yamashita-san immediately started interrogating us at to why we were five minutes late.

I could tell Yuugi didn't like being asked so many questions in such an angry tone when he hid behind Mai in fear.

"Please, Yamashita-san. Mai-san and Yuugi-san were lost so I had to help them find their way."

He looked at her for confirmation. Mai, seeing no other way out of this, nodded. In her eyes, I could tell she was angry.

Yamashita-san smiled. "That's very generous of you, Atemu-san. Next time, try to be a little faster."

He allowed us to go to our seats but before Mai sat down beside Yuugi at an empty parallelogram shaped table, she sent a furious glare my way.

_'Oh great. She's angry with me again! What did I do now?'_

I got my answer at lunch after math class that I also had with them.

Mai forcefully pulled me aside from my friends and shoved me against a wall.

"So you think you can use Yuugi and me to make yourself look good?"

I shook my head. "No! Of course not! I was just-"

"No. We don't need your help. So you stay away from both of us."

"Actually," Jou said as he approached. "Yami and Yuugi are partners for a history project."

Bakura stood by his side with his arms folded. "So unless you want him to fail, then he has no choice but to work with our friend."

Mai released my collar and grunted. "Fine. You can work with him for this project. It will be at our apartment after school. Do you have some problem with this?"

"No, not at all." I said.

She pulled up one of the sleeved that had fallen down while she was dragging me.

"Good. Then after this, you won't ever talk to either of us again. Yuugi doesn't need you as a friend."

She briskly walked away before stabbing me with her sharp eyes that were filled with anger.

Jou snorted. "What's her problem?"

Bakura walked up beside me. "You ok, Yami?"

"Un, I'm fine."

I watched Mai until she was out of site. It seemed so strange that she would jump to such a conclusion. Why would I have any reason to use them for my own gain? It's not like she knew me.

Then again, I didn't exactly know them, either.

But I hoped I could become friends with them. Regardless of what Mai said, they need friends. Every one does.

(End Yami's POV)

XxX

Mai sighed and sat down beside Yuugi in a private unoccupied corner of the schoolyard.

"Hey Mai. Where did you go?"

She smiled sweetly at him. He had tilted his head in wonderment while he chewed on his ham sandwich.

"I just went to use the bathroom, nosey."

He laughed a bit which cheered her up.

_'Yuugi deserves to be happy. After everything that's happened . . . I won't let him be hurt ever again.'_

Mai started unpacking her lunch. All she had was a sandwich identical to Yuugi's and a can drink of her favorite soda. It wasn't much, but she was only paid minimum wage. Besides, it was enough.

"So Yuugi, what exactly is this history project you have to work on with that guy?"

The boy blinked. "I didn't tell you about that."

She smiled. "I know. But I talked to Morita-san before Math."

Mai quickly lied. She didn't want Yuugi to know about her conversation with Yami. If Yuugi knew she was being so rough and angry with someone again . . .

"Oh." He gulped down the last of his drink and sat back against the wall. "Well, Atemu-san and I just have to research what Japan's agricultural habits where before technology was available."

"Wow. Sounds exciting." She said flatly.

Yuugi laughed again. "I know. But in a way, I'm almost . . . excited."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Well . . ."

Her other brow rose to the other's height. "Is that a blush I see?"

"Mai!"

She waved a hand defensively. "I'm just giving you a hard time. Seriously, what is it that's got you excited about this project?"

He gulped a bit. "Promise not to laugh?"

Mai drew a cross on her chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Well . . . if you have to know . . . it's um . . ."

She sighed deeply. "Yuugi . . . please don't tell me it's that Yami guy."

Yuugi bowed his head.

Mai groaned. "You can't be serious. Yuugi, you can do _so_ much better then . . . _him_."

He drew his knees to his chest. "He makes me feel . . . I don't even know how to describe it. But when I saw his eyes for the first time . . . I really felt like . . . I _am_ capable of love."

Yuugi stared up at the Sakura tree sadly. Painful memories washed over him like a wave on to the shore.

Mai frowned at him. She sat beside the boy and draped a comforting arm over his shoulders.

"Yuugi . . . I thought we've been through this before. You _are_ very capable of love. Juro didn't know what he was talking about. He just said that to try and break your spirit."

Yuugi buried his head between his knees.

She held the child close to her. "Oh Yuugi, I know you're sad. And I know how you feel. But you can't let him get to you. Juro is dead. Just forget about him. There's only you and me and that's all we need."

He nodded but accidentally let a sob escape his soft lips.

Both of her arms were now wrapped around him. "It's ok to cry now, Yuugi. You don't have to hold it back any more. Remember, we're starting a whole new life. Forget everything Juro told you and made you say and do. None of it matters now and he won't ever come back. I promise."

Yuugi quietly cried against her shoulder. "Gomen nasai, Kujaku-san. I didn't mean to."

Mai closed her eyes and held Yuugi closer. _'He just can't let it go. I wish he wouldn't be so formal even towards me. But I suppose it's just a force of habit. He never wants to offend anyone no matter who it is. _

_He's only like this around me when he's really upset. Especially when he thinks about Juro. That bastard! Even in death he keeps haunting us. Well, I'll stop him. I don't know how but I swear I will. I won't let his memory torment Yuugi and I forever. You won't win, Juro. I'll make sure of that.'_

"It's all right, Yuugi. I know you didn't mean to."

He quieted down a few minutes later. After that, the two sat in a friendly silence. Mai stroked Yuugi's hair to keep him calm and allowed her eyes to close.

Yuugi fell into a light sleep while Mai just rested her eyes.

But their slumber was soon interrupted by a shadow that had consumed their frames.

Mai's violet orbs snapped open and she stood up in front of Yuugi.

"Who are you?" She harshly asked.

The boy smirked. He must have been ten times her size but she showed no fear to him.

"That's none of your business, bitch."

The sudden movement of when Mai stood up had awoken Yuugi. He was shocked to hear such a rude comment directed towards her.

"Hey!" He shakily stood up. "L-leave Mai-san . . . a-alone!"

He laughed. "Hey boys, look at the little baby trying to stand up for his girlfriend!"

His friends chortled cruelly at him.

Mai stuck out an arm to keep Yuugi back. "You stay away from him."

"Why?" One of the thugs asked. "We don't take orders from some stupid whore like you!"

The instant Yuugi heard the term 'whore' his blood began to boil.

"Don't . . . call . . . her . . . that!"

With out a single thought, Yuugi lashed out and knocked his fist against one of the boy's cheeks, forcing him to the ground.

Mai and a few others gasped.

_'I've never seen him so . . . violent before. This is the first time he's ever hit any one!'_

Yuugi stood in absolute shock. _'I . . . I hit that boy! I . . . how could . . . I hit him . . . like that? Kami, am I no better then . . . Juro?'_

"Well well well! Look at what we have here!" The first boy snorted and grabbed Yuugi's collar, lifting him off the ground. "This baby likes to fight, does he?"

"No!" Mai charged at him, but two others held her back. "Let him go! Don't touch him!"

Yuugi tightly shut his eyes. He didn't want to see the face of his attacker.

A fist collided with his face. He was dropped to the ground where kicks and punches landed all over his body.

The boy curled into a ball. He silently wished that he could become so small that no one could see him any more. Then there would be no more pain.

A familiar voice entered his ear. It wasn't Mai, who was shouting the entire time. This voice belonged to someone else.

The pain suddenly stopped and Yuugi dared to open one of his eyes. His attacker was on the ground and someone was standing in front of him. Yuugi pushed himself up and gasped.

"At-temu-san . . ."

Yami towered over his assailant's body. Jou, Honda and Bakura stood with him ready to attack him again, if needed.

"Ushio! You stay away from them!"

The newly identified bully growled in anger. But he knew he was defeated. He stood up and his followers ran up behind him.

"This isn't over, Atemu! I'll get you for this!"

Bakura made like he was going to run at them but they were off like a shot.

Yami turned around and crouched beside Yuugi. "Are you all right? Of course you're not all right. Ushio was beating you! Sorry, stupid question. Will you be ok?"

Yuugi stared at him in shock. He slowly nodded, unable to get his voice working.

Yami took hold of the boy's chin and turned his head to the side to inspect the red mark that radiated on his cheek.

He lightly rubbed his thumb over the welt and frowned when Yuugi winced.

"That's going to bruise. But I think you should be all right."

Yami released his chin, letting his hand linger a little longer then it should have.

Yuugi turned to stare into Yami's eyes again. He felt he could have gotten lost in the warm crimson pools that stared back at him.

Before his journey into Yami's soul could begin, he heard a groan come from his left.

Out of curiosity, he turned his head and gasped.

"Mai!"

She had doubled over holding her stomach and had started to cough.

Yuugi ran over to her. "Mai, what happened! What's wrong!"

Mai slowly looked up at him and smiled. "One of the guys decked me so I wouldn't be able to help you. But don't worry I'm fine. Really."

Tears fell from his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kujaku-san. It's all my fault."

She held him close now that the pain had slowly started to ebb away. "It's ok, Yuugi. I know you didn't mean it."

He cried from the pain and no one could see an end in sight.

"It's all right now, Yuugi. I love you."

Yami felt a pang of sadness hit his heart. He didn't want to see Yuugi in such pain. But it also seemed that . . . this wingless angel already belonged to someone.

He didn't think they were that close, but if they were Yami wouldn't get in the way of it.

Yami stood up. "Let's go. I think they'll be ok."

Bakura raised an eyebrow. _'He's giving up on Yuugi already? Maybe he didn't love him after all.'_

They decided to leave and let Mai and Yuugi have time to their selves. Staying any longer would have been rather awkward any way.

Yami sighed. _'I'm sorry, Yuugi. I thought maybe we could have been together. But maybe our likeness is the only thing we were ever to have in common. If that is how fate chose it, then so be it. Goodbye, Yuugi. I hope you and Mai are happy together. Even if it means that I am not.'_

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Masami: And . . . cut! Ok everyone that's a wrap! We're done for today!

Yami: (sigh) thank god!

Bakura: Masami! What's my character's motivation!

Masami: (rolls eyes) anyway, great job everyone! Yo! Yuugi! (hug) You were excellent!

Yuugi: (blush) thanks.

Masami: I am so glad I picked you for this role! You're absolutely perfect for it!

Yuugi: (bigger blush) Well . . . I thought Yami was pretty awesome too

Yami: (blush)

Masami: (Takes picture of Yami and Yuugi blushing) n.n

Mai: can I go home now?

Masami: (rolls eyes) yes you can all go! Damion! Drop this film off in the editing room. Make sure it's perfect!

Damion: (rolls eyes) fine

( 1 ) : I read on this one site about Japanese culture that they wear slippers inside. Blue for boys and I think it was pink slippers for girls. I thought it was kinda neat and I wanted to try and make this story as accurate as possible since most of this will be taking place in the school. If I'm wrong about anything, don't be afraid to correct me.

Thanks for reading! Now don't forget to . . . REVIEW!


	2. Presence of Friendship and Love

Masami: Welcome back, cast and crew! Ok! The first act has been edited and everything's ready for the next act! We don't have to do that one again!

(Everyone cheers)

Damion: Get into place everyone! Let's try to get this in one shot!

Yami: Yeah right! With Jou playing Jounouchi? HA!

Jou: (growls)

Seto: (glare)

Masami: QUIET ON THE SET!

Yuugi: OO

Yami: (blink blink) but we're not on the set.

(Jou, Seto, and Yami were in fact standing beside the director's chair where Masami sat)

Masami: (eye twitch) just get in place people!

Seto: hey wait. Can I go home now? I'm not in any of the scenes in act two so-

Masami: Yes you are! Look! (points to script) Act one, scene seven! "Seto Kaiba makes his fancy entrance"! Now get in the car and wait there!

Seto: T.T

Bakura: I like scene one. n.n

Yuugi: Why?

Yami: Because it's a change room scene

Yuugi: Oo

Masami: (rolls eyes) ok! let's get into places people!

Haga: Masami! I don't know my lines!

Masami: Insector Haga? What the hell? You aren't in the script! Get out!

Haga: T.T (leaves)

Masami: PLACES! Background action!

(Everyone started moving except for the main characters)

Masami: And! . . . action! Roll Camera Damion!

Damion: It's rolling!

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Duel Two: Presence Of Friendship And Love

_Tuesday_

Yami was silent, as he got undressed. He just had gym class and was glad he was leaving it behind. Anything that involved physical interaction was not something he enjoyed.

He sighed. "I wish it was the weekend. I am so exhausted!"

Bakura scoffed. "What are you complaining about? You didn't do jack squat against the other team. So as usual, _I _had to-"

"No you baka! I was talking about Mai."

"Oh! Could have fooled me!"

His eyebrow twitched. "Thanks Jou. Seriously, I think she's trying to kill me. She was chucking the balls at me worse then a cannon!"

Jou laughed. "Yeah. Who would have thought that a girl would be so strong!"

Yami giggled a bit. "Hey come on, now. Just because he's a bitch doesn't mean she can't try to murder me."

Laughter echoed through the change room.

But it all stopped as soon as the door of a shower stall opened. Yuugi walked out of it and closed it behind him.

Yami bit his lip. _'Kuso! He heard that! He's going to tell on me! Damn it! Why the hell did I have to go blabbing on like that?'_

Yuugi was clutching his gym clothes to his chest, just like his binder. Still not making eye contact, he looked up at Yami a little bit.

"I'm . . . not going . . . t-to tell on you . . . Atemu-san."

Everyone blinked. He wouldn't rat them out? Why?

Yami simply nodded.

"Um . . . I'll see you . . . later then."

He quickly ran out of the change room and leaned against the wall. His breath came out in short, quick gasps. His heart was pounding like crazy against his ribs.

_'Kami . . . I can't believe it! Yami didn't have a shirt on! His body is so . . . amazing!'_

Yuugi could tell his face was flushed. _'Can it really be true? Was Juro lying?'_

He slowly made his way up the stairs and back into the gym to wait for the bell and for Mai.

_'Whenever I'm around Yami . . . I just fell so . . . warm and light. Like I'm floating on a cloud in summer. It's so strange. I don't understand it. But maybe this is something I'm not supposed to understand.'_

He sighed and looked up. Yuugi paled. Ushio was standing right in front of him with a twisted grin on his face.

"So shrimp, where's your little friends now?"

"Right here."

Ushio turned around and growled. "Atemu, this is none of your business."

Yami put a hand on his hip. "No? Well, it seems I've already made it my business."

He made a rumbling noise deep in his throat. "You'd better watch what you say, Atemu. One day you won't be able to save your little bitch."

Yami's eyes narrowed and he grabbed Ushio's collar. "What did you just call him!"

"Atemu! Ushio! Break it up, you two!" Sakamoto-san yelled.

Yami had no choice. He didn't want to get in trouble right now so he let go.

"Taking orders from a woman, Atemu?" Ushio turned on his heals. "I didn't think you could get any lower."

He wanted so badly to take the knife he knew the other carried in his pocket and stab him with it.

_'First he insults Yuugi and now he's insulting women? That bastard!'_

Taking a deep breath to calm his fury, he turned to smile at Yuugi.

His mirror image bowed. "T-thank you again, Atemu-san. I'm sorry I'm so burdensome."

Yami lost his smile and lifted Yuugi's chin. "Don't apologize to me, Yuugi. You are in no way a burden to me. I care about you. We are friends after all and friends look out for each other."

He winked at him again receiving another red-hot blush. He cupped Yuugi's cheek but pulled back when the boy looked away.

Yami cursed himself. _'Damn it. What am I doing? Yuugi and Mai are together. I can't flirt with him. He's straight and . . . and I'm not. That's all there is to it.'_

"I'm sorry, Yuugi."

The bell rang for the end of the day.

--

Yami shook his fist at the ceiling when no one was looking. _'Damn you, Gods! Stop tormenting me like this!'_

Just to his luck, Yuugi and himself were assigned to tidy the halls of the second floor together as their part of the daily clean up.

The good news is that they were on their last hall.

The worst part of it was Yuugi kept bending over and twisting into certain positions that made Yami's imagination run wild.

So as a way of not getting turned on, he looked away and turned his back to the boy. But after a time, Yami couldn't stand the silence.

He sighed and turned around.

"Um . . . Yuugi?"

The boy flinched a bit, but slowly looked up. "Y-yes, Atemu-san?"

"I'm sorry for insulting Mai earlier. I didn't mean it . . . I was just upset about something."

He smiled a bit. "I-it's ok, Atemu-san. I told you I w-wouldn't tell her. B-besides, if you get her a-angry again, she won't let you come over. S-she can get pretty s-scary when she's mad."

Yami laughed. "You're telling me! The way she was whipping me with those balls I could have sworn she was trying to kill me!"

Yuugi laughed a bit and Yami felt his heart soar. It sounded absolutely beautiful.

"Y-you'll have to e-excuse her . . . Atemu-san. Mai . . . can get rather violent."

Yami smiled. "It's ok. So how long have you two known each other?"

"S-since my mother and her father married."

His crimson eyes bulged from his head so much it looked like they would fall out. "So you two aren't together!"

Yuugi cringed at his sudden outburst. "N-no. She's my step sister."

Yami sighed. _'Thank the Gods! I thought . . . eww . . .'_

A whimper brought him back. He saw Yuugi shaking slightly.

Yami cursed himself and dropped the broom. He walked forward and held him. He felt the boy tense and started rubbing his back.

"It's ok, Yuugi. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. And I most certainly didn't mean to scare you. Can you forgive me?"

Hesitantly, he nodded and let himself relax. Through his insecurities, he wrapped his arms around Yami.

"Thank you, Atemu-san."

He frowned. "You don't have to keep calling me that, you know. You can just call me Yami."

Yuugi looked up at him. "Are you sure?"

The teen smiled. "Of course. Like I said I am in no way superior to you and I don't demand respect. Besides, calling me 'Atemu-san' makes me feel old."

The boy laughed. "All right. I won't say it any more."

"Hey you know what?"

Yuugi echoed his last word.

"You're not stuttering any more."

He blushed a bit. "I guess I don't do it . . . as long as I feel safe and . . . happy with someone."

Yami winked at him to increase his blush. _'He's so cute! It's almost inhuman!'_

(Me: I know exactly how he feels! Sometimes I just wanna beat Yuugi with a stick! Yami, Yuugi: O.O)

Someone to their left cleared their throat. Yuugi gasped and stepped away from Yami.

Mai had folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "Mind explaining yourself, Atemu?"

But Yuugi answered for him. "N-nothing happened, Mai. He didn't do anything."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Both of them nodded.

The teen slanted his head a bit. _'Why doesn't Mai trust me? Even Yuugi said that I didn't do anything . . . which I still don't understand. Why would I have done anything to him?'_

"Fine." She stood up straight and let her arms drop but put one hand on her hip. "Yuugi, go get your homework, ok?"

He smiled and nodded, heading off to his locker.

Mai glared at Yami. "Look, I don't know what you're planning, but you better not hurt Yuugi."

She walked turned around and said,

"By the way, you had better get your things as well. You are coming over to work on this project, right?"

Yami nodded. "Un."

He heard her sigh. "Great."

The teen glared at her retreating back. _'Does she have to be so . . . enthusiastic about this?'_

He headed off to the nearest payphone in the halls. (A/N: I don't know if there's payphones in the schools of Japan, but there is in mine! Mind you, I am in Canada so ………:P)

Yami inserted the coin and dialed his home number.

It rang a few times before someone on the other end picked up.

"Moshi Moshi." The voice said. "Atemu residence."

"Hi okaasan."

He could tell she was smiling. "Hi Yami-chan. What is it?"

Yami started to wrap the cord around his finger. It was a sign that he was nervous. And right now, he had every right to be. His mother hated it when something was brought to her attention at the last possible moment.

"Well . . . um . . . you see, I have to do this project with a kid at my school. It's for history and I just found out today! Plus he's new and he needs a friend so please can I go over to his place to work on it!"

Hiroko (his mother) sighed. "All right. But why not just do it here?"

He blushed a bit and shook his head to get it out of the gutter. "Well, his step sister is really bossy and protective so I have to work on it at their place."

She sighed once more. "Fine. But I want you home by seven. No later, all right?"

"Hai. Thank you, okaasan!"

"You're welcome. Have fun!"

The two hung up and Yami turned around. He jumped when he was Mai and Yuugi standing behind him.

Yuugi bit his lip to keep from laughing. Yami playfully glared at him but Mai gave him a warning look.

"So who were you talking to?" She asked.

He blinked at her accusing tone. "I just told my mom where I was going. Why does it matter?"

Yami noticed Yuugi was sad when he mentioned his mother. _'What's wrong with him? Did I say something wrong?'_

Mai put an arm around his shoulders. "Do you have your things yet?"

"Oh. No, I'll go get them."

She nodded. "We'll wait for you outside."

--

The walk to their apartment was quiet. But the silence started to wear down Yami's nerves.

"So where do you live exactly?"

"In an apartment."

"That doesn't tell me very much."

"That's all you need to know."

Yami blinked. _'What the hell is her problem? I was just asking. I'm going to see where they live any way so why not just-'_

A car honked their horn at the three. "Hey boy. You want a ride?"

Mai glared. She picked up a rock and threw it at him. "Fuck off you ass hole!"

He gave her the finger and drove away quickly.

Yuugi whimpered as his body shook. Mai was by his side in an instant.

"It's ok now, Yuugi. He's gone. Are you ok to go on with your project?"

He nodded and looked up at Yami apologetically. The teen smiled down at him with a look of 'it's ok. I'm not mad' on his face that made Yuugi smile a bit.

They continued on in silence.

Yami was very concerned. He saw how that man was staring at Yuugi and it disturbed him.

Worst of all is how Yuugi reacted to it. He couldn't know what that means right?

He sighed. _'I hope not. Yuugi's so . . .'_

A shiver went up his spine. He felt like he was being watched. Or more like glared at.

Who else would it be but Mai?

He looked at her and mouthed, 'what?'

Her glower intensified. Yami gulped. Yuugi wasn't kidding when he said Mai gets scary when she's angry.

He let Mai win the staring contest. In stead, he let his eyes watch Yuugi. Only out of the corner of his eye of course.

Yami saw that the boy was hunched over a bit and always staring at the ground. His hands gripped the straps of his backpack in a tight hold. It looked like Yuugi was absolutely terrified.

"Yuugi? Are you all right?"

He shakily nodded.

Mai looked at him concernedly. "Yuugi, what's wrong, hunny?"

Tears built up in his eyes. Mai told me to stay here as she took hold of Yuugi's hand and led him to a private place to talk.

Yami's heart clenched.

_'Why did Yuugi start to cry? What could have upset him so badly?'_

Whatever it was, he swore to protect the boy with everything he had. No one would hurt Yuugi ever again if Yami were around.

About ten minutes later, Mai and Yuugi returned.

Mouthing it to me, she told me not to say anything. I agreed, not wanting to upset him again.

When Yuugi looked up at him, Yami smiled in a reassuring, kind way.

In his eyes, Yuugi could see emotions that said 'don't worry. Everything will be all right.' And he believed it.

--

Finally, the three arrived at Mai and Yuugi's apartment. They lived on the second floor on the very corner of the building.

The apartment wasn't huge, but it was big enough for two people. There was a living room with a fireplace, a small kitchen and a dining room just beside it. From the entrance, that was all you could see.

"Nice place."

Mai's face . . . was sad? Yami blinked. _'What did I do now?'_

"Thanks."

They took off their shoes and went into the living room. Yami sat down on the couch.

He moaned. "AHHHH! This is soo soft! I feel like I'm sinking into it!"

Yuugi laughed at bit, which surprised Mai.

"Can I steal this couch?"

His look-a-like sat down beside him. "No! We need it! Besides, do you know how hard it was to get this thing up here?"

He whined. "But going down is so much easier!"

Yuugi laughed. Mai gaped at the two in shock. How did Yuugi become so close to Yami all ready?

She turned away in disgust and went into her room.

"What's wrong with Mai?"

Yuugi half smiled. "Don't worry. She gets like that sometimes."

"So what exactly do we have to research on?"

The boy bit his lip. "That's the thing. It's about Japan's agricultural habits before technology was available. But we don't have a computer."

Yami blinked. "You don't? Well then how are we supposed to get it done?"

Yuugi lifted his backpack onto his lap. He opened it up and took out three textbooks.

"Mai asked Morita-san for some information so he's letting us borrow these."

The teen felt a pinch of annoyance. _'She dragged me all the way here just so Yuugi and I could work on a major project with limited supplies? She must really hate me!'_

Regardless of how little their information sources were, Yami and Yuugi read every last page in the textbooks and wrote down anything that could be usefull.

Since each of them had read a textbook themselves, Yami composed an idea for the last one.

"Why don't you and I read this one together, Yuugi? I think it would be much more . . . helpful that way."

He blushed. "A-all right."

Yami slowly advanced and sat right next to Yuugi. He felt the boy's body squirm a bit from the nearness but knew he didn't mind.

The teen picked up the textbook and opened it, placing half in Yuugi's lap and other half in his own.

(A/N: just incase anyone was getting confused, Yuugi and Yami are the same age! Yami ain't no pedophile! They're both about 15, ok? I'm just saying 'boy' and 'teen' as a way of identifying them with out having to use the same noun.)

Yami gently placed an arm on both of Yuugi's shoulders. He went at a slow pace so that if his crush was unwilling to have this contact, then he could quickly pull away and apologize.

But it seemed Yuugi didn't mind at all. He cuddled into Yami's side a bit, letting his head rest against the teen's shoulder.

Yami smiled at him even though Yuugi didn't look up. Through out the entire reading, the teen only paid half attention to the book. He just couldn't take his eyes off of Yuugi. So what if it was just the top of his head a little bit of his face?

It sure didn't matter to Yami. He was just so glad to have Yuugi in his arms.

--

Mai had witnessed the whole intimate scene with anger and disgust.

She knew about her stepbrother's sexual orientation for a long time. She wasn't disgusted with it at all! As long as Yuugi was happy then it didn't matter.

_'I just wish that he chose someone else! I know Yuugi likes Atemu and I suppose he isn't all that bad. But I can't trust him alone with Yuugi just yet. For all I know his only intrest! I'll keep an eye on him for now.'_

She continued to watch the two and glared at how Yami kept staring at Yuugi. So far, he hadn't touched her stepbrother in an improper way. But she wasn't about to let her guard down even if Yuugi would.

--

Yami rested his head against Yuugi's. The boy was blushed so hard he thought his face would explode!

It was harder to concentrate now, but he didn't mind at all. Somehow, it just felt so right to be like this with Yami.

_'I always feel so . . . safe and happy when I'm with him. I don't know how he feels for me . . . but I think . . . I think I love him. Oh Kami, I want to be in love so badly. I'd do anything to prove Juro wrong. I wish I could rub it in his face! Then again, I don't want him here. It's better just to be in love and not have any one try to smother it.'_

"Hey, Yuugi?"

He blinked and lifted his head to stare into the warm crimson pools once more. "What is it, Yami?"

The teen half smiled. "Gomen, Yuugi. But I got to get home."

"Do you have to?"

He nodded. "Sorry. I wish I could stay longer, but I can't."

Yuugi reluctantly nodded. "All right."

The two got off the couch, instantly missing the delicious warmth of the other.

Yami put on his shoes and his backpack. He was just about to leave when his eyes caught site of amethyst orbs of absolute beauty. Yami was trapped in their magnetic pull. It's as if they were hypnotizing him into submission. Their only order was to never look away.

Yuugi was in a similar predicament. He didn't want Yami to go. He wanted the teen to stay here forever. That way, he could look into the warm, passionate eyes without end.

Yami could also see Yuugi's lush, pink lips.

'_Would it be weird if we kissed?'_

He wanted so badly to taste the boy. Yuugi just looked so . . . tempting. His beauty was more alluring then anything he had ever known in his entire life. Yami slowly leaned forward and his eyes started to close.

Yuugi tilted his head up a bit, wanting to meet Yami's lips with his own for the first time. His eyelids closed at the same speed as the teen. He wanted to look into his eyes until the last possible moment when-

"Ahem!"

Yuugi took a step back as Yami straightened his posture. The boy stared at the floor in shame and didn't watch as Yami left the apartment.

His eyes met his stepsisters but only for a moment. He ran into his room and cried into his pillow.

_'Why? Why can't something go right for once!'_

_--_

Yami stopped walking and leaned against a fence. _'Yuugi . . . couldn't even look at me. What was he so shameful of? He did nothing wrong. Maybe it was me. Could it have even been Mai?'_

He sighed. "It doesn't look like I'll ever know. Sure, Yuugi's slowly warming up to me . . . but Mai just won't let us get close."

A car horn honked. A blue sports car with two white paint strips going the length of it pulled up in front of him. This was a car he knew all too well.

The passenger window slid down to reveal the driver.

"Yami-kun? What are you doing here?"

He smiled. "Hey Seto-kun."

Seto blinked. "Uh oh. What's wrong?"

Yami batted his eyelids a few times. "Nani?"

"You only call me Seto when something's troubling you." He leaned over and opened the passenger door. "Get in."

The teen was, to state the obvious, confused. _'I only call him Seto when something's bothering me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?'_

But he'd ask questions later. He needed the company anyway, so he accepted the ride.

He drove on down the road. "So what's wrong?"

Yami sighed heavily. He spilled every last feeling he felt since History class.

Seto learned about what happened since this morning until just now when he picked him up. To say the least, the CEO wasn't surprised.

"So you finally found that special someone, eh? It's about time!"

The teen groaned. "Kaiba . . .!"

"Now that's more like it!"

He glared. "Kaiba, this is serious. I don't know what to do!"

He shrugged. "All ways a first for everything, ne?"

Yami wined. "Stop it!"

"Here." He handed his friend his cell phone. "Call your mom and tell her that you're going out with me. You and I have to talk about this."

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Masami: CUT! That's a wrap!

(Everyone cheers and leaves)

Damion: well that was fast

Masami: anyway, get the film to the editing room, Damion!

Damion: Don't worry I'll make sure it's perfect

Masami: you damn well better!

Yami: hey Masami? Why haven't Yuugi and I kissed yet?

Masami: It's not the in script yet. But don't worry. You will.

(Yuugi and Yami smile. They leave)

Masami: See you later guys! (leaves)

I would do review responces, but since I'm improving the chapters, I can't since they aren't allowed any more. But thanks to any one who reviewed and read!

Make sure to review this chapter too!


	3. The Illness of Guilt

Masami: (sigh) Yami will you get over it?

Yami: But why didn't Yuugi and I kiss! It was the perfect moment!

Masami: No it wasn't! Besides, you can do it off stage all the time!

Yuugi: (blush)

Yami: . . . Well, I guess you have a point there.

Yuugi: (bigger blush) Yami!

Yami: n.n

Masami: But make sure you videotape it for me . . . and for . . . posterity . . .

Yuugi, Yami: Oo

Damion: Hey Masami! You might want to get going! We have a deadline to meet!

Jou: No you don't. If you did have a deadline, you would have filmed this part of the production.

Damion: yeah I know. We don't really have a deadline. Masami is far too lazy for that. But you know her; she wants to make this whole thing seem important.

Jou: ah.

Masami: Ok! Places! Kaiba, Yami! Get in your booth!

(The two sit down across from each other and sigh.)

Masami: Good . . . now background! . . . and Action! Roll Camera!

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Duel Three: The Illness Of Guilt

_Tuesday (continuing from last chapter)_

The two sat in a coffee shop, sipping on their favorite drinks.

"All right." Seto began. "So you think you love him, right? Do you know if he loves you?"

Yami shook his head. "No, I don't know. But when I leaned in to kiss him, he leaned in too. Maybe it doesn't mean anything. But I mean . . ."

Seto nodded. "Why would he go to kiss you back if he didn't feel something for you?"

"Exactly. So what do I do?"

Seto paused. "I guess your best option is just to lay low for a bit."

"Huh?"

He sighed. "Damn it. Ok, bad example. What I mean is don't try to kiss him just yet. Yes, he may want to. But it's best for the both of you, if you just try to find out how he feels for you.

If he doesn't love you and the two of you kiss, the next day he could just ignore you. Then you'll just have a broken heart. Besides, kissing without knowing isn't fair for him either."

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

Seto emptied his cup and ordered another. "Think about it this way. You go up to him and kiss him, but you never say that you love him. You don't give him any sign of your feelings because you're waiting to see how he reacts.

At first, that might sound like a good idea. But what if he thinks you only want to get into his pants?"

Yami slammed his fist down on the table. "Never! I would never do-"

"I know that. Just calm down, ok? This is only an example." He sighed before continuing. "_If_ he were to think that, then he wouldn't want to be with you if all you feel for him is lust.

That's why your best bet is to just keep flirting with him. See how he reacts and if he flirts back. Then when you think the two of you are ready, and only then, tell him how you feel."

Yami bit his lip. "But . . . what if he doesn't feel the same?"

The CEO shrugged. "Hey at least you'll know right?"

XxX

Mai lightly rapped on Yuugi's door. "Little brother? Can I come in?"

"No!" Came his slightly muffled answer. "Why won't you let Yami be my friend? I care about him and I want to be with him! I know he cares about me!"

She shook her head in a pitying manner. "Yuugi, you don't know that for sure. For all we know, he could care less about you."

"That's a lie! Yami protected us from Ushio! Why would he even bother if he didn't care?" Yuugi screamed.

"He probably just wanted to get to you before Ushio did."

Yuugi kicked the door. "No! I won't listen to you any more!"

Mai glared and opened the door. "Yuugi, stop being so naïve! You're letting your emotions blind you!"

Yuugi covered his ears. "Stop it!"

"No! Not until you see the truth!" She shouted. "Don't you understand? Yami is no different from the others."

He slammed his fist on the nightstand. "You're wrong! Yami is nothing like them! I know he really cares about me and he would _never_ hurt me!"

"Yeah? Well that's what you said about Keith and look where it got us!"

Mai gasped. _'Oh Kami . . . did I just . . .?'_

The pain and sadness in Yuugi's face proved her right.

"Yuugi . . . I'm so . . . I didn't . . ."

Tears spilled out from his eyes. "I'm the reason that we-"

"No!" Mai fell to her knees and embraced Yuugi. She cried tears of regret into his chest. "No Yuugi. It's not your fault! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I didn't mean it, Yuugi! Please! I didn't mean it!"

Her sobs stopped her from saying anything else. Yuugi said it was all right and forgave her.

They got ready for bed and lay down together. (A/N: no, they don't sleep together as in having sex. They could only afford one bed that they have to share!)

Mai held Yuugi's cheek. "I'm really sorry, Yuugi. I didn't-"

"It's ok, Mai. I'm not mad."

She nodded and said goodnight. After that, she fell asleep. But Yuugi found no rest that night.

He felt as if he were in shock.

_'It's my fault. It's all my fault.'_

Those words repeated in his head all night long. As the sun rose, he turned his back to Mai so she wouldn't see that he hadn't slept.

XxX

_Wednesday_

(Yami's POV)

I anxiously looked around the classroom. I was starting to get worried. Yuugi hadn't shown up yet.

Sure there was still half an hour before class started, but-

Oh wait there he is.

I turned around. "Kaiba, that's him. At the entrance."

He looked up from his paper and his eyes became wide. He pointed with his pencil and said,

"_That's_ Yuugi?"

I nod.

"Wow. He looks just like you."

I smiled. "Yeah. But isn't he the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"

Kaiba scanned Yuugi's face thoroughly. "Yeah. He is pretty good looking. Although right now, it kind of looks like he's depressed."

I turn back to Yuugi just in time to see him arrive at his desk and sit down. Kaiba was right. He looked absolutely miserable.

I get out of my desk and kneel beside his. "Yuugi? Are you all right?"

He shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

Yuugi put a hand on his stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick."

I stood up and took his other hand. "Come on. I'll take you to the bathroom."

He leaned against me as we slowly entered the washroom two doors away from the history class.

Entering a stall, Yuugi fell to his knees and gagged a bit.

I put one of my hands on his back and the other on his forehead. I remember my mom telling me once that if someone is throwing up, a hand on their forehead will give them support so it doesn't feel like they're falling into the toilet.

If it makes him feel any better then I would just be glad I could help.

He gripped the sides of the bowl and emptied the contents of his stomach. Most of it was what could have been a half digested breakfast. I waited patiently for Yuugi to finish. All the while, I whispered reassuring words in his ear.

He flushed the toilet, signaling he was done. I picked him up and carried him to see the school nurse.

"Oh my, what happened?"

I laid him down on the empty bed. I explained what happened in the bathroom and told her both our names.

"Ishimaru-san, please can I stay with him?"

She thought about it for a moment before giving me permission.

The nurse put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Motou-san? Can you hear me?"

He weakly nodded.

"Can you tell me where you're in pain?"

Yuugi moaned. I held his hand to assure him that I was here with him. It didn't really seem to help him too much. I was very worried. What was wrong with him?

"M-my stomach hurts. A lot."

Ishimaru-san nodded. "I'm going to take your temperature, all right sweetie?"

He winced painfully. "O-ok."

She took out a thermometer and put it underneath his tongue. We waited for a minute before it beeped.

"Hmm. 98.6. You don't have a fever, so I think it's just an upset stomach." She said. "I can give you something to settle it, but for now, you can just lie down here until you feel better."

Yuugi nodded. "Thank you."

She smiled and left us alone for a moment.

I sat down beside him. "What's wrong, Yuugi? Do you know what made you feel sick?"

He hesitantly shook his head and I could tell he was lying. But I'm not the kind to press matters further if someone won't talk about it.

I stroked his hand with my thumb to calm him. His body had started to shake a bit.

"Hey now, it's ok. I'm right here, Yuugi. You're not alone."

He nodded. "Thank you so much, Yami. I feel better . . . now that you're here."

I smiled and winked at him. His face became red and he giggled.

If he feels better now that I'm here . . . would that classify as flirting back with me? I'd have to ask Kaiba about it.

The bell rang but I didn't make any move to stand up. Yuugi looked at me as if wondering why I hadn't left.

"I'm not going any where, Yuugi. Not until I'm sure you're all right."

He smiled but shied away a bit as his blush deepened.

Ishimaru-san returned and smiled. "All right you two love birds, break it up."

We both blushed.

"Atemu-san, you better get going to class."

I held Yuugi's hand tighter. "But you said I could stay with him."

"I meant for a little while. You have classes to attend to."

I stood up. "But-"

"I'll write a note so you're not marked as late."

Her tone told me there was no point in arguing. I turned to Yuugi.

"I'm sorry, Yuugi. But it looks like I can't stay with you."

He smiled. "It's ok. I'll be fine."

I gave him a one armed hug and took the note from Ishimaru-san. I said goodbye and left the room.

I hoped with all my heart that Yuugi didn't think I was abandoning him. I care about him too much to lose him.

(End Yami's POV)

(Yuugi's POV)

I sighed as my secret crush left the room. I missed him all ready.

But the guilt I felt overwhelmed his absence. I tried not to, but I winced as another wave of nausea washed over me.

The nurse turned her attention to me.

"Are you all right, little one?"

I nod. "What's your name?"

She smiled. "Ishimaru Michiyo. But you can just call me Michiyo. You don't have to be formal with me."

"You have a very nice name."

Michiyo thanked me. "You do as well. Is it all right if I just call you Yuugi?"

I allowed her, saying I wouldn't be offended. 1

"You should know Yuugi is one of my favorite names. I always want to call my son that name when ever I have one."

I smiled. "Are you married?"

Michiyo shook her head. "Not yet. Takumi hasn't proposed yet. I hope he will, but in a way, I don't think we're ready. Oh I'm sorry, Yuugi. I must be boring you."

"Iie, it's all right. I love listening to people talk." She smiled at me.

I smiled back at her.

"Yuugi, do you mind telling me what made you throw up?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "No?"

Again, I shook my head. "Sorry. I wish I was more useful."

"Oh, Yuugi. Don't say that. If you don't know then it can't be helped." She rubbed my arm gently. I smiled a bit and thanked her. I was glad I had so many kind people around me.

(End Yuugi's POV)

XxX

The bell rang freeing Morita-san's students from his History class.

Packing away his things, Yami heard his name being addressed.

"Atemu! Where's Yuugi?"

He turned to see her flaring anger directed towards him.

"Look, I didn't do anything. Yuugi wasn't feeling well so I took him to the bathroom. He threw up then I took him to the nurse's office. Ishimaru-san said he'd be all right."

She gasped. All her anger left and was replaced with worry and shock. "Oh no . . ."

"Don't worry, Mai. Ishimaru-san said he would be all right. He just needs to lie down for a while."

"And you just left him there with some stranger!"

Jou interjected. "Hey! Ishimaru-san isn't a stranger. She's the school nurse and she'll take care of Yuugi."

Mai glared at Jou. "Don't talk about Yuugi like you know him."

"I don't know him. I'm just saying-"

"Well don't!" She yelled. "This doesn't concern you!"

Morita-san stepped in. "Kujaku-san, that's quiet enough. You stirred up enough noise just the other day. Besides, I think it's about time that you and the others leave for your next class."

She grunted and turned to leave.

Jou and Yami walked together down the hall.

"Jeeze! What is her problem? You help Yuugi and she makes it seem like a crime!"

Yami shook his head. "She doesn't have a problem, Jou. She's just . . . protective of him."

"No kidding."

--

At lunch, Yami decided to introduce his friends to Yuugi. Mai got a detention for mouthing off their math teacher, Mrs. Watanabe. At least now it was safe to see him without getting any heat from her.

Yami lightly rapped on the door. "Ishimaru-san? May my friends and I visit Yuugi?"

She opened the door. "Of course, Atemu-san. Please come in."

They entered and Yami led them all to a bed.

Just behind a curtain surrounding the entire bed, Yuugi still lay where Yami had left him. They removed the curtain and Yami smiled at him.

"Hey, Yuugi. How do you feel?"

He smiled right back. "I'm fine, Yami. Thanks again for your help. It means a lot."

"It's no problem." He gestured his friends closer. "Yuugi, I'd like for you to meet my friends. This is Katsuya Jounouchi, but you can just call him Jou. Beside him is his boyfriend, Kaiba Seto. And this is Hiroto Honda."

Yuugi smiled and sat up, with a bit of Yami's help. "It's nice to meet you all. And it's an honor to meet you, Mr. CEO of Kaiba Corp."

Kaiba smirked. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Back in Nagano, I read all about you and how you're the world champion in Duel Monsters." Yuugi smiled. "I always wanted to meet you. Maybe you could help me improve my game a little."

He raised an eyebrow. "You play Duel Monsters?"

Yuugi nodded. "A little bit. But I can't exactly label myself as a pro. I never really had a lot of time to work on any strategies."

"I think all of us can help you there, Yuugi." Honda said.

He blinked. "All of you play?"

Jou nodded. "Yup. Kaiba and Yami are the best out of all of us of course. But Honda and I can give you a few pointers."

Yami smiled. "That's right. If you want to know how to lose, just ask those two."

"Hey!" The two exclaimed.

Yuugi laughed. "Yami be nice! I'm sure they aren't that bad."

"Thank you, Yuugi." Jou glared at Kaiba. "At least _someone_ is defending me."

Seto was silent until he realized Jou was looking at him. "What?"

The blonde sweat dropped. "Baka Kaiba."

Yuugi laughed even harder.

In the back of the room, Michiyo's heart soared. _'Yuugi deserves to be happy. I just hope Yami is the one who can help him.'_

Yami smiled. _'Yuugi is so happy now. It looks like Mai was wrong. He does need friends.'_

"Hey Yuugi, why don't you join us for lunch tomorrow? Kaiba's buying for all of us." Honda said.

Seto raised an eyebrow. "And why was I not informed of this?"

Yami sighed. "Kaiba, this is why you _show up_ to the meetings."

Yuugi smiled. "I'd love to join you for lunch. But don't worry, Kaiba-san. You won't have to buy anything for me. I just bring my own lunch."

They nodded.

Yuugi bit his lip as if he were unsure of something.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed. "Yami, I know this is kind of rude to ask . . . but do you know if Mai is ok?"

Jou smiled. "Yuugi, it's not rude to ask about your sister."

"Yeah." Honda said.

Yami nodded. "Don't worry about it, Yuugi. Mai is just fine. She's just not here because she got in trouble with one of the teachers and had a lunch detention."

"I'm not surprised. Mai usually is a trouble maker." Yuugi said, laughing.

The teen smiled. "So, do you plan on attending afternoon classes? If you're not there for Social Studies I won't have any one to talk to. Don't let me be all alone." Yami fake whimpered to try and convince him.

The boy sighed. "First of all, you don't have to beg. I was planning on going anyway. And second of all, you're doing it wrong. It's like this."

Yuugi closed his eyes and held his hands together. He scrunched his shoulders up and let his cheek rest against his shoulder. He opened his eyes and everyone gasped.

It looked as if he was about to cry if something didn't happen. They weren't sure what to do: give him a cookie or beat him with a stick because he's so cute.

Everyone (even Seto) tilted their heads and said,

"Aww . . ."

Yuugi smiled and returned to his normal posture. "See? What'd I tell you? Works every time and gets you whatever you want."

Yami gaped. "That's . . . I mean . . ."

Seto shook his head. "That's exactly like Mokuba."

Honda slapped his knee. "_Thank_ you! I couldn't figure out where I knew that from!"

"Who's Mokuba?"

Seto smirked. "He's my little brother. He pulls that look on me all the time."

Yuugi lost his smile. "Oh."

Jou was about to ask him what was wrong when Ishimaru-san cried out and glass objects shattered to the floor.

The four of them jumped up to see if she was all right.

Michiyo had fallen to the floor and dropped a tray of glass jars holding various medical supplies.

"Are you ok, Ishimaru-san?"

She sat up. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just tripped on my shoelace. Could you boys help me clean this up?"

"Sure."

Everyone got on their knees to help. Seto and Jou gathered the shards while Honda and Yami picked up the medicinal provisions.

Michiyo left them to it and went to comfort Yuugi.

"Hey Yami? I think something's up."

Yami looked at him. "What do you mean, Kaiba?"

Everyone stopped cleaning to hear what he had to say. Seto continued just above a whisper.

"Think about it. Ishimaru-san said she tripped on her shoelace but she's wearing high heels."

Yami blinked. _'That's odd. Why would Ishimaru-san lie to us?'_

Michiyo returned and smiled. "Thanks for your help boys, but visiting hours are over."

The teen looked down at her feet to see white high heels supporting her feet.

"Why are all of you staring at the floor?"

Honda replied with a quickly thought up lie. "Oh, we were just checking it for germs. But uh . . . seeing as how we can't see them, I guess we're done here."

The others stood up and left the room.

Kaiba looked at Honda disbelievingly. "Checking the floor for germs? Kami, it's a wonder you made it past second grade."

Michiyo sighed. _'I'm sorry everyone. Something just tells me Yuugi wanted you all to leave. Perhaps it's because . . .'_

She shook her head and returned to her duties.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Masami: CUT! Ok that's a wrap! Thank you everyone! I'll see you . . . uhh . . . yeah . . .

Yami: (rolls eyes) Masami-

Yuugi: Come on Yami let's go home (drags him away)

Masami: Have fun, Yuugi-chan!

Jou: Masami? Do Seto and I still have to-

Masami: Yes

Seto: (holds out video camera) (wink)

Jou: -.- (sigh)

Damion: Ok! See you all later! I'm off to the editing room!

Masami: Have fun, Yuugi-chan!...i mean…………….(walks away)

Yuugi, Yami, Seto, Jou: -.-

1 for anyone who doesn't know, calling someone by just their first name and not using an honorific could be very offensive

REVIEW and I'll lend you the tape of Yuugi-chan, Yami, Kaiba and Jou all making out with their respective boyfriends! Trust me it's really hot and nothing blurred out! n.n YAY!


	4. The Life Giving Air

Masami: Thank you everyone who read and reviewed our last filming session and thanks to all my actors and Damion.

Damion: uh huh

Yuugi: So what's on the agenda for today?

Masami: (whispers in Yuugi's ear)

Yuugi: O.O

Yami: Oh no! Don't tell me we're starting act IV!

Masami: YUP! n.n

Yami: Damn it.

Yuugi: uu let's just get it over with.

Masami: OK! places! Quiet on the…..oh screw it, ACTION!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Duel 4: The Life Giving Air

_Thursday_

Yami sighed. _'Another hour and school will be over. Yuugi and I really need to work on our projects for history. Those damn textbooks did jack shit for us!'_

He supposed that wasn't completely true. That last textbook let him sit really close to Yuugi with an excuse. He could tell Yuugi didn't mind, and maybe he even enjoyed it.

But he wasn't sure about the boy's feelings just yet. He had his suspicions, but had no real proof to support it. So until he knew for sure, he would just have to hit on him in a secretive way.

Like with the textbook. It gave him a reason to sit with him like that. If Yuugi _didn't_ feel the same, then he would have backed away or got off the couch or something. But . . . maybe he didn't feel the same and thought Yami was just sitting with him.

_'Oh hell, that can't be it. Yuugi doesn't seem like that kind of person. But . . .'_

He sighed. Lazily, he picked up a ball and threw it at Jou. It connected with his lower leg.

"Katsuya's out! Blue team wins!"

He growled. "Damn it!"

Yami groaned. _'What the hell am I going to do? Mai would never let Yuugi come over to my house where we have a computer! So now what?'_

"Yami, you're really good at this."

The teen smiled. "Thanks, Yuugi."

Sakamoto-san blew her whistle and called everyone over. "All right, minna-san. Tomorrow we're starting a badminton tournament. Pick your partners now and I'll write it in."

Immediately, Yami asked Yuugi to be his partner.

"Of course! I would love to!"

Yami heard Ushio grunt just behind him. "Faggot."

He turned and fiercely glared at the boy three times his own size. Ushio was unfazed and smirked.

"You got something to say to me, Atemu?"

Yami took a step towards him, but Yuugi stopped him.

He had a tight grip on his partner's arm. "Yami, don't. It's not worth it. Don't justify him with any kind of reaction."

Knowing Yuugi was right, the teen backed off. He took Yuugi's hand and walked over to Sakamoto-san.

"Yuugi and I will be partners for the tournament."

She nodded. "Very well."

After she wrote it down, Yami looked at the list.

Jou was paired with Seto and Honda was with Otogi. Mai, however, wasn't with anyone.

Yami noticed that Mai never participated in any sport. Accept for that one time in dodge ball. But aside from that, she would just sit on the bleachers watching over Yuugi like a hawk. It was odd, but he wasn't about to tell her what to do.

"Yuugi!" Mai called out from her spot on the bench. "Come here."

He nodded. "I'll be right back, Yami."

The teen released his hand and watched him leave.

"Oi! Yami!" It was Honda. "What happened?"

He turned to them. "Nani?"

Jou shoved his hands in his pockets. "Ushio. We saw what happened. What the hell did he say to ya?"

"Forget it. It doesn't matter."

Honda shook his head. "It does if you're still mad about it. What did he say?"

Yami looked away from them out of the corner of his eye. "What does he always say about me?"

Jou growled. "That bastard!"

"Yami, you should tell the principal about him." Seto said. "He could get Ushio expelled and we wouldn't have to worry about him any more."

He shook his head. "I won't let someone else deal with my problems. I won't hide behind a figure of authority like some coward. I'll handle it in my own way."

Though reluctant, the three agreed.

Yuugi came running back with a big smile on his face.

"Yami! I have good news!"

He took a deep breath and turned to the shorter version of himself with an identical smile. "And what would that be?"

"Mai has to work late tonight so she said you and I could go to the library and work on our project!"

He looked over Yuugi's head (Me: x.x he's so short!) to see Mai looking at them from across the room. Yami smiled and politely nodded as a way of saying thank you.

She nodded once and walked out the door to the girl's changing room.

Seto blinked. "Mai works?"

"Um . . ." Seeing his mistake, Yuugi froze. He knew students at this school weren't allowed to have an after school job. But it's not like he could deny it now. "Yeah. Please don't tell any one."

They nodded.

"She works as a waitress at some fancy restaurant. I don't remember what it's called. Any way, Mai usually has to clean up at the end of the day. Today they're open really late _and_ she has to clean up."

Honda grunted. "Ouch. It must be hard. Hey, when will she be back at your place?"

He thought for a moment. "Not 'til late at night. But she'll be back before midnight for sure. Anyway, Mai told me there's a library near here so we have to go there after school."

"That's great, Yuugi. Maybe we can actually work on our project today." Yami turned his head to look over his shoulder. "How 'bout you two? Jou? Honda?"

"Uh . . . hey come on! We got it covered!" Jou said.

Honda nodded. "Yeah. It's a work in progress."

Yami cleared his throat. "I'm sure it is. Any way, let's get changed. Jou's starting to stink up the place."

--

For the second time, Yami and Yuugi were paired up to clean the halls at the end of the day.

Morita-san told them it was because they did such a good job last time, he figured they should do it at the end of every day.

Yami was slightly annoyed, but he was glad he could do it with Yuugi. (Masami: n.n haha! Yami's a pervert! ) He could spend time with Yuugi and he could also keep an eye on him.

It's no wonder Mai never left him alone. Yuugi was so innocent and naïve that . . . well, Yami didn't even want to think about that.

"Yami? Are you ok?"

He looked over at Yuugi and smiled. "Un. Sorry, I was just thinking."

The boy nodded and returned to cleaning the glass of the trophy case. "What about?"

Yami blinked. This would be a perfect opportunity to do a little flirting. He grinned. "Actually, I was thinking about you."

He suddenly dropped the bottle of cleaning solution. "R- . . . really?" He bent over and picked it up. "Um . . . Anything . . . in particular?"

Yami paused to keep Yuugi on the edge. He dropped the mop back into the bucket and dragged it along the floor again. "Maybe."

Out of the corner of his eye, Yami could see Yuugi blushing like mad. _'Is he thinking about what I think he's thinking about? If he is he has a dirtier mind then Jou!'_

Yuugi gripped the cloth he used the clean the glass so hard he swore he heard it rip. _'Does that maybe mean what I think it means? He has a bit of a dirty mind if it does mean what I think it means.'_

The teen mischievously raised an eyebrow. "Are you all right, Yuugi? Your face is all red. Are you sick?"

"Um . . . no . . ."

_'Damn it!'_ Yuugi cursed. _'Now he'll think I'm some kind of pervert! I should have said I was sick! . . . but then Mai wouldn't let me go.'_

He took a deep sigh and lost his blush.

Yami grinned. _'I've _got _to tell Kaiba about this!'_

He continued to clean the floor as if nothing had actually happened.

Yuugi took a silent deep breath. _'All right. Calm down. I'm sure he doesn't think like that. Just keep cleaning. That's the goal for right now.'_

Yuugi walked over to the window on the other side of the hall. But the floor was wet there and his feet slipped from beneath him. Yuugi yelped as he felt himself begin to fall.

He closed his eyes and waited for impact . . . but it never came.

"Yuugi?"

When he heard his name, Yuugi opened his eyes to see Yami's face just above his.

"Are you all right?"

He nodded.

Somehow, Yami had caught Yuugi securely in his arms before the boy could fall on his back.

Slowly, the teen helped him stand on his own feet. But the arms around his body wouldn't leave.

The two were completely locked in a gaze of love. Neither could move nor did they want to. This was a moment that could have lasted forever for all they cared.

Yuugi couldn't help but notice how close Yami's lips were to his. He suddenly lost his breath when he thought about actually kissing him.

His cheeks turned a light pink. "Yami . . . I . . ."

"Shh . . ." He put a finger to Yuugi's lips. "Don't . . . Just . . ."

Yami slowly dragged his finger across the boy's smooth, full lips and gently cupped his cheek.

Yuugi's eyes were now only half opened. He couldn't breath at all now but he didn't care. This was what he wanted after all.

The two slowly leaned forward, desperately wanting to kiss the other. They could almost-

"Yami-chan! Where are you?"

Yami gasped. _'No. Not her. Anyone but her!'_

The teen quickly stepped away and took a deep breath.

Yuugi could feel his body trembling. Whether it was from the saddened disappointment that Yami pulled back or the excitement that spread through his body from what almost happened, he didn't know. And on some level, he didn't care.

_'I almost kissed Yami! He's the most gorgeous guy in school! I shouldn't be complaining!'_

Then a shrill voice rang in his ear. "Yami-chan! Where are you?"

A girl came around the corner and shrieked. "Yami-chan! There you are!"

She ran up and hugged him. "I've been looking for you everywhere! Where have you been lately?"

Yami pushed her off and straightened his shirt and jacket. "I've been a little busy lately, Anzu. Why?"

She held her hands behind her back and tilted her head, looking at him in a bashful way. "Well, I've missed you, Yami-chan."

He rolled his eyes.

Anzu suddenly noticed someone else in her presence. "Yami-chan, who's this?"

"Uh . . . this is Motou Yuugi. He's a . . . a . . ." Yami had absolutely no idea what to call him. They weren't boyfriends just yet. They were certainly friends, but-

"I'm a friend of Yami's."

She smiled. "Well, my name's Masaki Anzu and it's very nice to meet you."

"You too, Mazaki-san." Yami heard Yuugi's voice crack. He saw the hurt in his amethyst eyes.

Guilt was all he could feel. _'Does he think Anzu and I are together?'_

Yuugi's chest started to feel tight. It was hard to breath and he was starting to panic. Anzu was calling him Yami-chan. Why would she say that if they weren't together? He started to shake from fear. Could his secret love already be taken? _'I have to get out of here. I can't take it.'_

He politely smiled. "Excuse me for a moment."

Yuugi quickly left the hallway then ran to the bathroom.

Anzu put her hands on her hips. "Well that was rather rude."

Yami shoved the mop into her hands. "Anzu, please finish up for us."

He then ran after Yuugi. Yami didn't exactly know where the boy had ran off to, but he had a feeling. Almost as if he could sense where Yuugi was.

Before he knew it, his feet had led him to the bathroom. Through the door, he could hear someone trying frantically to breathe.

He burst through the door. The first sight to meet his eyes was Yuugi's hunched over back.

The boy was on his knees clutching his chest, wheezing and coughing as he attempted to breath properly.

_'Oh no! He must have asthma!'_

Yami sat on the floor against the wall. He pulled Yuugi into his lap and leaned him forward a bit.

"Yuugi, listen to me carefully. I can help you. Ok? Will you let me help you?"

He slowly nodded and coughed a few times.

"Good." Yami placed his hands over the small of Yuugi's back and just below the rib cage. "Breath slowly in through your nose, and down to my hands. Try and keep your shoulders still. Try not to move your chest if you can. Just breath in slowly down as far as my hands."

Yuugi obediently closed his mouth and inhaled through his nose. He tried hard to do as Yami told him. At first, he was unsuccessful, but after a few tries, Yami told him he was doing it right.

"Now breath out slowly. Not too fast. Breathing out is the hardest part of all. Keep it slow, and don't breathe in till I tell you to."

He paused for a few seconds after Yuugi slowly exhaled. "Now breath in again, slowly."

Yuugi was doing very well. After a few more times of this exercise, his breathing was becoming more under control. Now, Yami was massaging the back of Yuugi's neck, saying,

"Good. You're doing great. Now breathe in and then out. But don't breath in again while I count to ten and say breathe."

He inhaled then exhaled just as he was told. Yami counted to ten in a steady beat. The first time, Yuugi inhaled at eight. Yami told him it was all right and started his countdown again.

This time, he made it to ten.

As time went on, Yami increased the count to twelve, fifteen, twenty and even thirty. After being able to reach thirty twice, he knew Yuugi's breathing was now under control.

He started massaging the back of his neck more while Yuugi took slow, steady breaths.

"Yuugi, are you ok now?"

He mutely nodded.

"What happened? Why couldn't you breathe?"

Yuugi took a few breaths before speaking. "I was scared. I thought . . . I thought someone was after me. I . . . I guess the fear . . . overwhelmed me."

Yami sighed. "Yuugi, I know that's a lie. Please tell me the truth."

_'He's right. I'm lying. But not all of it was a lie. I really was scared. I love Yami so much. But if he belongs to another . . . if he's not even . . . but why would he try to kiss me if he wasn't? That's what I was afraid of. I thought . . . maybe . . . he was just going to use me for what ever he wanted then throw me away. But I can't tell him that.'_

Yami didn't understand. Why wouldn't Yuugi trust him with the truth? _'Perhaps I shouldn't ask him. I don't want to intrude on his personal life. But I'll find out someday.'_

"Yuugi, it's ok. You don't have to tell me. For now. Just stay calm."

He nodded. "Thank you."

Yami smiled. "You're very welcome."

They sat in silence momentarily.

Yuugi's mouth was so dry from trying to breathe before Yami came to help. He slowly kneeled and grasped the sink.

Yami stood up. "Wait. Let me help."

"No. It's ok. I'm fine."

He was still a little weak, but Yuugi was able to stand all on his own. He turned on the cold water and cupped some of it in his hands. He noisily sipped it and swallowed the liquid. It soothed his soar throat and helped him to feel refreshed.

He turned off the tap and looked at Yami. "How did you do that?"

"Health class last year. The only reason I remembered it is because every once in a while, my old health teacher would randomly quiz us in class about CPR and what I just did. But she retired after that year."

He smiled. "Well, thank goodness she kept nagging you like that. You could have saved my life Yami. I'm in debt to you because of this."

The teen laughed. "Yuugi, I don't want you to repay me for helping you. I care about you and I don't want you to be hurt or sad."

He blushed. "Thank you. But still, I feel like-"

"Well don't. I don't need any kind of payment."

Yuugi smiled. "All right. Well, I guess we should head to the library now."

Yami put his hands on Yuugi's shoulders. "Are you sure you're ok to go?"

He nodded. "Un. I'll be fine. I promise."

The walk to the library was longer then either of them thought.

But this gave Yami an advantage. He could talk to Yuugi and maybe get a few answers out of him.

"Yuugi, how long has this been going on?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Do you remember when the attacks first started?"

Yuugi gave him the same answer.

He paused. "Does Mai know about this?"

". . . Sort of. It's never been this bad before . . . so we just dismissed it as nothing."

Yami stopped walked and held Yuugi back. "Yuugi, you can't just ignore it. Asthma can be very dangerous. You need to see a doctor about this."

"We can't afford a doctor right now, Yami."

He blinked. "Why not? Don't your parents-"

"Don't talk about my parents!" He paused. "I'm sorry. Please, just don't talk about them."

He nodded. "It's all right. I understand. I shouldn't have asked."

They continued on their way in a semi awkward silence.

Yami thought he should say something . . . only the question was, what? What could he say that would make the tension melt away?

"Yami?"

He blinked. "Yes, Yuugi?"

Yuugi paused before he spoke again. "What's kink?"

(Me: lmfao! Thanks soooo much Kim! )

"Uh . . . where did you hear that?"

He shrugged. "Mai said something about it yesterday and I don't know what it is."

"Oh . . . Mai told you that huh? Well . . . see . . . kink . . . is uh . . ."

Suddenly, Yami felt his pocket shaking. "Oh. It's my phone. Hold on a second."

Pressing the 'talk' button, he held the cell phone to his ear. "Moshi moshi."

_"Hey Yami-chan!"_

He pulled the phone away for a second while his eye twitched. "Hello."

_"Yami-chan why did you just leave me at the school like that?"_

The teen rolled his eyes. "I had something more important to take care of."

He winked at Yuugi, causing his to blush.

_"WHAT! More important then me!"_

Yami sighed. "Yes."

_"Yami-chan! How could you-"_

He suddenly made a noise that sounded like static. "What? Kshhh! You're kshhh up! Uh . . . I'm going through a tunnel! Ksshhhh! You kssshhhh!"

_"Yami-chan you're not even in a car!"_

"Kshhhhh! I can't hear you! Kssshhh! You're-"

He hung up and sighed.

Yuugi was holding his sides as he leaned forward. He couldn't stop laughing.

"Y-Yami! . . . That was . . . so mean!"

He shrugged. "What?"

His laughter intensified. Yami was almost concerned that Yuugi would have another attack.

"Ok, Yuugi. Calm down. Just take it easy."

Yuugi took a few deep breaths. "Don't worry. I'm all right. Sorry, it was just so funny! I can't believe you did that! Who was it any way?"

"Uh . . . It was Jou."

Yuugi frowned. "Why did he call? Am I keeping you from something?"

"Oh no, Yuugi. Not at all."

"But you said-"

He held up a hand. "Yuugi, really. It's all right. There's nothing else I had planned today. I only want to spend my time with you today."

The boy blushed. "Really?"

"Of course. No one is more important to me then you."

Yami started to walk forward and corner Yuugi to the tree that stood behind the boy.

He gasped. "Y-Yami . . . what are you doing?"

Their bodies were lightly pressing against each other. Yami put his left arm above Yuugi's head.

"Well . . ." The hand of his other arm gently held Yuugi's cheek again. "I figured we should pick up where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted. Don't you?"

He whispered in a sultry voice against Yuugi's ear.

The boy gasped and couldn't hold back a tiny mewl of pleasure.

Yami grinned. _'If he didn't like me then there's no way he would let me do this in public!'_

Yuugi could feel his face burning. _'Why is Yami doing this in public! Someone's going to see us! I . . . I can't!'_

Yuugi quickly ducked under Yami's arm and ran a few steps away from him. Then he continued slowly walking.

_'Why did he pull back like that?'_ Yami frowned. "Yuugi, wait!"

The boy hesitated in a step and froze. He clenched his eyes shut. _'Please don't be mad, Yami. Please don't be mad! I don't want to lose you!'_

There was a hand on his shoulder. "You almost stepped in dog shit."

Yuugi slowly looked at the ground. A small pile of feces lay in the spot where he would have taken his next step.

"Oh. Thanks."

Yami smiled. "No problem."

Again, they continued on their way in silence, forgetting what almost happened back at the tree.

( Yami: STOP! Hold it! Masami: Cut! What now? Yami: how far away is this library! Masami: n.n' oh yeah….i forgot about the library Yami: -.- Masami: ok! Let's pick it up from Scene III! Action!)

They turned the corner and Yuugi gasped. "Is . . . is _this_ the library! It's huge!"

Yami stared at the familiar grey building. "Well . . . actually, that's an apartment complex." He pointed to the beige coloured structure just beside it. "_That's_ the library."

"Oh . . . it's huge!"

Yami laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty big. You know something? It's got the best selection of books but there's a bigger library on the other side of town."

"How does that work?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Plus the librarians here are a lot nicer."

"Then let's go!"

Together, they ran to the door and opened it. Inside, Yuugi blinked a few times to see if what he saw was real.

"I don't believe it! There are so many books!"

Yami smiled. "Yeah. This is why I'm glad Mai let us come here. There's a huge history section at the back and there, we can get all kinds of information. You do know what we have to look for right?"

He nodded. "I have the outline in my backpack."

Yami blinked. "Morita-san never gives us outlines."

"Morita-san said since I'm new I wouldn't know his criteria for a project." Yuugi smiled.

"I know the criteria for his projects."

Yuugi laughed. "That's not what he said."

A few minutes later, Yami and Yuugi were buried in books about Japan's agricultural past.

Pens were constantly moving, writing important, crucial, and useful facts they found. Soon, both boys had hand cramps and were forced to take a break.

Yami sighed. "Remind me to never write for thirteen pages with out stopping."

"Remind me to remind you first and we've got a deal."

They laughed.

Someone at another table hissed at them to be quiet.

"Sorry, miss."

Yuugi buried his head in his arms on the table. "I am so tired."

"How come?"

This time, they made sure they spoke in whispers to not disturb other people.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't been getting much sleep I guess."

"What's keeping you up?"

Yuugi sat up straight. "The air conditioner in our apartment isn't working right. It keeps groaning and hissing and squeaking like mad! I hear it every night because we have to sleep in the same room as the air conditioner. No one could sleep through something like that. One more night with that noise and I'll become an insomniac!"

He chuckled. "You know, you could spend the night at my house if it's troubling you."

The boy quickly hid a blush. "Um, thank you for the offer but I couldn't. Mai wouldn't like it and I would just be in the way."

"Not at all, Yuugi. We could work something out with Mai and my parents wouldn't mind. My friends are always over at my house. They won't care."

Yuugi half smiled. "I'm sorry Yami. It's just . . . Mai would get mad if she knew I was with you at your house."

"What's wrong with Mai, anyway? Why doesn't she like me?"

He bit his lip. "Um . . . I . . . don't know."

"Did I do something wrong?"

Yuugi sighed. "No. She's just . . . afraid that you _will_ do something."

Yami blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He knew why. Mai had told Yuugi all of her feelings about Yami to him. But all he could do is shrug. "I don't know. She never really told me what she meant by that. I think she only has to get to know you like I have. Then she'll see what a kind, caring, sweet . . ." Yuugi blinked, realizing that he had started to space out. "Uh . . . person you are."

"Is that really how you see me, Yuugi?"

The boy blushed a bit. "Well . . . yeah. You're always there for me. You care about all your friends so much, you're ho-"

He gasped. _'I can't believe it! I almost said he was hot!' _

Yami raised an eyebrow. "I'm what?"

_'Uh oh!'_ He gulped. "You're . . . ho- . . . onarable."

The teen stared at him with a confused expression. "I'm honorable?"

"Yeah!" Yuugi was unsure of what to say. But since he couldn't think of anything else, he decided to just go along with it.

Yami chuckled. _'That's got to be the worst cover up I've ever heard of.'_

"Thank you, Yuugi. That's very kind of you."

He paused. "Um . . . You're welcome."

Yami smiled. "Well, I think we should get back to work. There's still six more books to go through."

"Uh . . . actually, there's seven."

He groaned. "Aw, crap!"

Again, the woman hissed at them to be quiet. Yuugi apologized and tried not to laugh.

They resumed reading and writing facts for their project. Soon, Yami reached a section in one book that was smudged and nearly impossible to read.

"Yuugi? Could you help me with this part? I can't see what it says."

He looked up. "Sure." Yuugi pulled his chair right up next to Yami's. He leaned over and squinted his eyes.

While Yuugi was busy trying to decipher the text, Yami slowly put his arm around Yuugi's shoulders and pulled him a little closer.

Yuugi blushed but tried to make it look like he didn't mind. It wasn't that Yuugi didn't want Yami to do this, because he did. He just wished he wasn't so bashful about being close to someone so then he could stop blushing all the time.

He wanted to be comfortable with Yami. There was never a time when he felt awkward or scared in his presence (aside from when they first met). But he wanted to be even closer to Yami. Closer then friends or even best friends.

Yami smiled. He adored Yuugi's cheeks when they turned a shade of scarlet. He was so lovely with scarlet outlining his face.

With great skill, Yami quickly pulled Yuugi parallel to his body. Their thighs were rubbing against each other as Yami slide even closer to Yuugi. Now the sides of their bodies were squished together.

Yuugi's felt his face burning from the lover's embrace Yami was sharing with him. With each movement, Yuugi knew that Yami was trying to imply something. They were all suggesting a certain thing, but Yuugi was unsure if it was that he wanted to be with him as a boyfriend, or it meant he was only attracted to him physically.

He was so uncertain, but on some level Yuugi didn't really care. He loved that Yami always wanted to be so near him all the time. He hadn't felt like this in a long time so it's best if he didn't question it or else the opportunity would slip through his fingers.

Yami smiled. He quietly smelled Yuugi's hair again and held back a moan.

_'Oh Yuugi, I love how you smell of lilies. I love how you blush whenever I touch you and I love how you don't turn away when I do. I really hope you love me as much as I love you. I can't be sure yet, but-'_

Yami's musings were interrupted when two boys at the table just behind them were whispering. He only paid attention to them because he heard them talking about Yuugi and himself.

"Ugh. That's so gross." One of them said. "I mean look at them! He's all over that kid!"

The other grunted in agreement and in disgust. "How often you think that one on the right fucks the kid on the left?"

Yami growled. He stood up and walked over to them with a fierce glower on his face. "If you have something to say to me, why not say it to my face instead of some coward?"

"Yami, what's going on?"

He heard Yuugi's concerned voice, but couldn't answer him right now. If he looked away it would be showing weakness.

The first boy stood up. He was two feet taller then Yami and looked to be much stronger.

"Yeah, I got something to say. If you're gonna feel up your bitch do it somewhere private!"

Yami pulled back a fist. It connected with the boy's cheek and sent him flying back into a rack of books.

Yuugi latched onto his arm. "Yami, stop! It's not worth it! Don't-"

"Yuugi, I won't let them walk all over us and insult you like that! They shouldn't be allowed to get away with that!"

The boy stood between him and the bully. "Yami, I know that. But please don't fight them. You'll get in trouble and I don't want that to happen because of me."

"It won't be because of you, Yuugi. It's _their_ fault!"

The first boy finally stood up. "Hey! Don't blame us for not having any self-control, asshole."

Yami growled. Before he could speak, Yuugi turned around and took a step forward.

"Please, sir. There's no need for such anger and violence. We-"

The second boy interrupted. "We don't need no fuckin' lecture from no faggot!"

He punched Yuugi in the left temple. The boy was sent sideways into his and Yami's table. Papers flew everywhere as it was knocked over. He hit his head against the corner of a chair as he fell to the ground.

Yami gasped. He heard a few others gasp when Yuugi limply landed on the floor. There was a small audience around them. They were attracted there by the commotion and wanted to know what was going on.

Yami growled. "You bastards!"

He charged forward, fists ready to knock their blocks off. When suddenly, they started running away.

"This ain't over, Atemu!"

"Yeah! Just wait til Ushio hears about this!"

Yami cursed. _'Knowing them, they'll say I was having sex with Yuugi! But I'll deal with that later.'_

He looked behind him to see what had scared them off. A tall, burly, dark skinned man stood there. He definitely looked intimidating so it was no wonder why they ran.

But the man looked down at Yami and gave him a friendly smile. "Well, they won't be back here for a while."

He nodded. "Yes. Thank you for your help, sir."

They introduced themselves and Masuyo (the man) said it was no trouble.

"Excuse me!" A woman cried. "I think this boy needs help!"

Yami gasped. "Yuugi!"

He and Masuyo ran to the fallen angel and kneeled beside him.

"Yuugi, are you alright!"

He slowly nodded. "Un. I'll be ok."

"My name is Masuyo. I'm a doctor so I can help. Tell me, where are you hurt?"

Yuugi raised his hand and covered a spot on the right just above his ear. "Right here. I . . . I think it's where I hit my head."

Masuyo nodded. "Right. Let's get him to sit up, ok?"

Yami agreed. Together, they lifted Yuugi into a seated position.

"Now, let's see where you hit your head." Masuyo said. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'll be very gentle."

Yuugi slowly nodded and turned his head, giving Masuyo access to his injury.

Being as tender as he could, Masuyo brushed away Yuugi's hair that covered his wound.

Yami held Yuugi's hand to reassure him and keep him calm. He didn't want Yuugi to have another asthma attack especially with the blow to the head he suffered.

Masuyo inspected the injury and smiled. "Well, my boy. You have nothing to worry about. It's not very serious at all. It might swell a little and there will be some bruising, but you don't need to go to a hospital."

Both Yuugi and Yami sighed in relief.

"I do suggest you put some ice on that though. You'll be all right, it's just so it'll heal faster and keep the swelling down. You should also lie down for a while and take it easy just incase you feel dizzy."

Yuugi gratefully nodded. "Thank you so much, Masuyo-san."

"You're very welcome . . . um . . ."

The boy knew that Masuyo wanted his name. "Motou Yuugi."

He nodded. "Motou Yuugi. I'll make sure to remember you. And you as well, Atemu-san."

After saying goodbye, Yami and Yuugi gathered their things and left the library. After turning the corner again, Yuugi stopped walking.

It took Yami a few seconds to realize this, but he was instantly at his side. "Yuugi? What's wrong? Do you feel dizzy? Are you ok to walk?"

He nodded. Then slowly, Yuugi looked up at Yami with pleading eyes. "Yami, I'm going to ask you something impossible. But please. I need you to do it."

"What? What is it?"

He paused and took a deep breath. "You can't tell Mai about what happened."

"Yuugi . . ."

"I know she should know what happened . . . but I don't want her to worry about me. She had enough to worry about and a few bullies isn't what she needs right now. Please, for both our sakes. Don't tell her."

Yami frowned. He didn't like that idea at all. Mai was Yuugi's stepsister. And so far, it seemed she was Yuugi's only family. It didn't seem right to keep something like that from her. But he also knew that he should respect Yuugi's wishes.

He sighed. "All right. I won't tell her but on one condition. I stay with you over at your apartment. I just want to make sure you'll be all right until Mai gets back."

Yuugi smiled. "Deal."

The walked back to Yuugi's apartment. Along the way, they talked about school, things they saw on the street, anything really.

Suddenly, Yami realized something. _'This is our first real . . . talk. We've never had a chance to talk about anything before. Mai was always with us and she barely let us say a word unless it was about the project.'_

"Huh . . ."

Yuugi tapped Yami's shoulder. "Are you ok, Yami?"

He smiled. "Yes, of course. Why?"

"Well, you just went so quiet all of a sudden." He shrugged. "I don't know . . . it just seemed so unnatural."

Yami laughed. "Sorry. I just thought of something."

"What?"

He smiled. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

Yami nodded. "I'm quiet sure."

Yuugi decided to leave it alone if Yami didn't want to talk about it.

They entered the building and made it safely to Yuugi's apartment. Upon entering, Yami ran straight to the couch and lay down on it.

"Oh yeah. That's good."

Yuugi laughed. "Do you want something to drink? We only really have . . . well, water. But . . ."

"No thanks. I'm good."

Yuugi sat down on the floor beside Yami's head.

He immediately sat up. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm hogging the couch."

"Oh don't worry. I'm fine."

Yami shook his head. "No. Remember? Masuyo-san said you have to lie down."

"But-"

Not taking no for an answer, Yami grabbed Yuugi's arms and lifted him up to the sofa. Yuugi was now lying on the cushions. Yami started to crawl over his legs to get off but suddenly stopped.

"Are you- . . . what?"

Yuugi was blushing furiously and almost seemed to be afraid. Yami looked down and realized why.

He had straddled Yuugi's waist and was still holding his arms at his sides.

_'Yuugi must think I'm . . .'_

Yami quickly hopped off the couch and cleared his throat. "Uh . . . sorry. I was just going to ask if you were comfortable."

He shakily nodded.

"Good. Well . . . I guess I'll get going now."

Again, he unsteadily agreed. In a way, Yuugi didn't want him to go. But with what just happened . . . then again, how was he sure Yami would actually do that?

For now, it would be better if he just left.

Yami sighed as he shut the door behind him. _'Yuugi was afraid of me. What did I do to scare him?'_

Taking out his cell phone, he selected Seto's number and put the phone to his ear.

It rang a few times before someone picked up.

_"Moshi Moshi."_

He blinked. "Mokuba-kun?"

_"Oh hi, Yami-kun! What's up?"_

The teen cleared his throat again and spoke up. "Well, I was actually hoping to talk to your brother. Why do you have his cell phone?"

Mokuba's laugh carried through the line. _"Sorry. He's in a meeting. I have it because he gave it to me just incase someone called for him. Nii-sama said he wouldn't be long. Want me to tell him to call you?"_

Yami sighed. "No, that's ok. Just tell him to meet me at the coffee house."

_"Ok! Later!"_

He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.

"Yami?"

Caught off guard, he jumped up and yelped. He turned around and sighed. "Yuugi . . . what's wrong? Are you all right?"

The boy was looking just out of a crack of the door. He was still afraid but was slowly overcoming it. He nodded, finally answering Yami's question.

"It's just . . . well . . . I . . ."

Yami gently walked up to him. "Yuugi, what ever it is you have to say, you can tell me. I'm not going to be angry or upset no matter what. If there's _ever_ anything wrong you can always come to me and talk about it."

He bit his lip and opened the door a little bit more. Yami could see his body shaking. If there was something he wanted to say, he was struggling with himself to get it out.

"Yuugi, you shouldn't keep your feelings inside. Let it all out. It eats you alive until it breaks your spirit. After that, you just feel so empty inside. I know because I let that happen once. But then, my friends approached me and forced my anger and sadness out. Then I was happy again.

Letting something off your chest is the best feeling you'll ever get. Knowing someone's there for you is great too. And I swear I'll always be there for you. You can tell me anything."

Yuugi suddenly burst into tears. He ran into Yami and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt.

The teen wrapped his arms around Yuugi and held him close. "Easy, Yuugi. Just take it easy."

"I can't take it any more, Yami! It hurts so much! It's too much to bear!"

Yami gently rubbed his back. "What is? You can tell me. I swear no one will ever find out from me."

Yuugi sobbed. "I-I want to tell you so badly! But . . . I don't think I can!"

The teen noticed someone was watching them. He picked Yuugi up like a bride and carried him back inside, closing the door with his foot. Then with Yuugi in his lap, they sat on the couch while the boy slowly stopped crying.

"Yuugi, why is it you think you can't tell me?"

He sniffed. Yuugi refused to look at Yami straight in the eye. He just pressed his cheek to Yami's solid chest and kept a firm grip on his shirt.

"I can't tell you . . . because . . . well, Mai said I could never tell anyone. Also . . . I know you would hate me for it."

Yami held him closer. "Yuugi, I could never hate you. I care about you so much. You're the most important person in my life! If there's ever a way I could help you, even if it's something so trivial, I don't care. I would do it just to see your beautiful smile."

"But . . . how could you care about a piece of dirt like me?"

Yami could feel his tears overflowing. "Yuugi, please don't speak so ill of yourself. You're not dirt! I don't know why you would _ever_ say that, but it's a lie. You're above dirt. You're . . ." He smiled. "You're the air."

He blinked. "I'm what?"

"That's right. You're the air. You're everywhere I look. You surround me and make me feel so happy. You're laughter is like a warm summer breeze. The air is calming, sweet, and beautiful. Air gives you life. Without it, you couldn't breath. No one can survive without air.

You are my air, Yuugi. Without you, I wouldn't be happy. I wouldn't be here, with the one I lo- . . ." He froze trying to think of something. ". . . the one I care about. You're what gives me life."

Yami couldn't see, but Yuugi was smiling. _'He really thinks that. I've never heard someone say something so nice about me.'_

"Thank you, Yami. I care about you too." He sighed. "I just can't tell you. I can't betray Mai. I've already done it once before . . . and I can't do it again. I care about her a lot too. The both of you mean so much to me. I could never hurt either of you. I might be able to tell you someday . . . just not today."

Yami nodded. He lifted Yuugi's head so they could stare into each other's eyes. "I understand. I'll wait until you're ready."

"Thank you for being so tolerant. I must be a pain to-"

The teen cut him off by covering his lips with his index finger. "Never. You could never bother me. I just want you to be happy. So I'll wait forever for you."

He blushed. "Thank you so much."

It then came time for Yami to leave. He had to meet with Seto and tell him _everything_ that's happened.

Yuugi was sad that he had to leave, but wasn't about to make him stay.

"Um . . . Yami?"

He smiled. "Don't worry. I won't tell Mai anything that's happened today. I promise."

Yuugi nodded and thanked him once more. "I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe . . . we could have lunch together?"

"Defiantly. Until then, ja ne, kuuki!"

He shut the door behind him and sighed. "Phew! That was an adventure and a half! Wait 'til Kaiba hears about this!"

Yami quickly ran down the steps and zoomed out of the building.

--

Yuugi blushed like mad. "Did . . . did he call me . . . kuuki?"

Realizing he did, Yuugi ran into his room and smothered his face into his pillow. He screamed as loud as he could and couldn't stop laughing.

_'I can't believe it! He said- I mean! He's so amazing! I can't believe it!'_

He removed his head from the pillow so he could breath properly. "Yami, I can't wait to see you again. I don't care what anybody thinks! I just wish you knew how much I loved you."

Perhaps there would be a day when he knew. Yuugi made sure to hold his breath until then.

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Masami: CUT! Ok, thanks everyone! We're done for today!

Damion: Hey I forgot, what does Kuuki mean?

Masami: It means air, Damion. Now get the film to the editing room and I'll see you at home.

Yami: and when you say I'll see you at home, you mean I'll see you in my head seeing as how that's where he lives.

Masami: of course! Where else would home be?

Yami: -.-

Yuugi: just don't even bother Yami. Come on, I have to work the register at the Kame Game Shop tonight.

Masami: have fun, Yuugi!

Seto: So how come it took you so long to get us together for this filming session?

Masami: didn't you get the memo?

Seto: No

Masami: well, go look in my profile. I'm tired and I want to go home.

Jou: Masami? This is where you live.

Masami: oh right. Get out of my house!

Seto, Jou: -.-

REVIEW!


	5. Infatuation With A Game King

Masami: Alright! Sorry about the delay everyone! Blame Mr. Matwichuk! (My drama teacher)

Yami: can we please just start filming?

(Everyone is in their places and looks very impatient)

Masami: oh all right. I won't rant about my production! Ready with the camera, Damion?

Damion: …yes

Masami: Ok! And………ACTION! ROLL CAMERA!

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Duel Five: Infatuation With A Game King

_Thursday (continuing from last chapter)_

(Yami's POV)

I stirred the froth of my cappuccino into the drink. "The thing is, he wanted to tell me something. But he felt it would be betraying Mai. He said he cared a lot about me . . . but he just couldn't do it."

Kaiba nodded. He had a calculating look on his face and I knew he was figuring out every aspect of the past few days' events.

"So what do you think?"

He took a long sip of his coffee. "Well, as far as I can tell, Yuugi almost definitely has feelings for you. I'm almost completely certain. Plus, he trusts you a lot. I'm actually a little surprised about that. I've never seen someone trust you so quickly."

"Yeah . . . wait, what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Kaiba laughed and waved his hand a bit. "Oh calm down. I was just kidding. Anyway, let's get back on track. So you just about kissed him a whole bunch of times and each time he wanted to kiss you back. Definitely a good sign."

I anxiously leaned forward. "So he's been flirting back with me?"

He nodded. "Oh yeah. He's made a few passes, but their just very small. He's pretty shy and uncertain, but I think he loves you too."

My face felt a little red, but I hid it pretty well. "So now what?"

He hummed shortly as he thought. "You know what? Let me talk to him at school tomorrow. I'll bring you up and see how he reacts and what he thinks of you. I just want to be sure about my theory."

I raised an eyebrow. "Theory? Kami, what is this? A college thesis or something?"

"Not yet."

Sighing, I rubbed my temple. "Why do I even bother?"

(End Yami's POV)

XxX

(Yuugi's POV)

I sighed contently as I lay on my bed. I just couldn't get Yami's words out of my mind.

I still couldn't believe he said those things. He's so sweet and kind. Sometimes I think I don't deserve him. But if he can't live without me then why not be with him?

Yami's face was etched into my brain. I couldn't stop thinking about him. His hands were so soft and gentle. His voice sent shivers down my spine. His eyes were almost terrifying. But I loved staring into them and just getting lost.

He was so gorgeous. I couldn't believe that he might almost be interested in me. _Me!_ Of all people!

Suddenly the phone rang. I sighed and rolled off the bed. Picking up the phone, I cleared my throat and answered.

"Moshi moshi."

There was a silence on the other end.

"Moshi moshi."

Again, no one answered.

"Is anyone there?"

I couldn't even hear someone breathing. We were having some problems with the phone before. Could the phone be broken again?

Just as I was about to hang up, someone spoke.

_"YUUGI?"_

I yelped not expecting the voice. "Oh. Mai, it's you. What's up?"

_"Nothing I was just checking to see if you were home yet. When did you get there?"_

I thought for a minute. "Uh . . . about twenty minutes ago. I think."

_"Ok. Did you get all the information you needed?"_

"Most of it. We'll probably have to go back there tomorrow to get the rest though. Is that ok?"

She said in annoyance. _"I'll think about it. Any way, I won't be back until really late tonight. I have to work even more overtime so don't wait up for me."_

"All right. And Mai?"

She sighed. _"Yes?"_

" . . . Forget it. I'll see you later."

Suddenly, there was silence. Not even a dial tone.

I groaned. "We lost the connection again. Damn it." I hung up the receiver. "We need a better place to live."

Then again, this is the best we could do. Mai's paycheck only brings in so much. The majority of it will go to the landlord every first of the month and the rest goes to buying food. We're stuck with the left over clothes the orphanages gave us. All of which is either too big, too small, or has a few holes.

But I suppose it's better then nothing. We never had much money so . . .

An idea just hit me. Why didn't I think of it before! I'm such an idiot!

"I'll get a job!"

(End Yuugi's POV)

XxX

Yami stepped out of the car. "Thanks Kaiba. This means a lot."

"No problem. Just remember-"

He slammed the door before Kaiba could continue. The CEO glared and drove off.

Yami stepped inside of his house and sighed. "I'm home! Okaasan?"

"I'm up here, Yami-chan!"

He walked up the stairs and entered his parent's bedroom. Hiroko (his mother) was lying on the bed under the covers, reading a book. She looked up and smiled.

"How was the library?"

Yami rolled his eyes and groaned. "Don't even ask."

Hiroko put her book down on the nightstand and sat up as Yami took a seat beside her. "Did something happen?"

"No, not really. I just used too much of my brain. There's so much thinking!"

She nodded. "Oh . . . I see. Well, I told you before, the library can be a dangerous place for someone like you."

He scoffed. "You don't even know the half of . . . it . . . wait a minute! What's that supposed to mean!"

Hiroko shrugged. "What? You said it yourself! There was too much thinking!"

Yami wined. "Man! _Everyone's_ taking shots at me today!"

"Kaiba-san again?"

He nodded.

"You sure have been hanging out with him a lot. I wonder . . ."

He rolled his eyes. "Okaasan, we're not dating. There's someone else."

She raised an eyebrow. "With him or with you?"

"With me."

She smiled and sat closer to her son. "Tell me about him. Come on! Give me all the juicy details!"

He stared at her. "Mother!"

"What? I'm just curious."

Yami sighed. "Fine. Well, were should I start?"

Hiroko put an arm around his shoulders. "What's he like? Is he a bad boy involved with a dangerous gang?"

The teen rolled his eyes. "Please. He's the exact opposite."

She smiled. "All right! There's a start!"

After his eye twitched, Yami continued. "He's kind, sweet, and anything but self-centered. I don't think he even knows what an ego is. And . . . Kami, okaasan, he's like an angel. I've never seen any one so beautiful before. He's just so . . . so . . ." He grunted. "I don't even know how to describe him."

Hiroko nodded. "I know exactly how you feel. When I met your father, I was so in love I was at a loss for words. I went as far as to look in the dictionary to see if there was a word to portray him. But there wasn't. Anyway, I have an idea. We can make a game out of this!"

"Uh oh!"

She slapped his shoulder. "Oh hush up. Now let's see. Is he cute or handsome?"

"Both . . . in a way, at least. He's mostly cute."

Nodding, she continued. "Is he shy or did he come up to you first?"

"No, he's very shy, and very withdrawn. But he has opened up _a lot_ compared to when we first met."

"Is he-"

"Does he play sports?"

Yami's father, Kaneda, asked from the entrance.

Hiroko grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "Kaneda! Who cares?"

"I'm just saying!"

Yami hopped off the bed. "That's it. I'm done."

His mother sat up. "But Yami-chan we aren't finished our game!"

He mumbled a few incoherent words and waved his hand.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "Good night."

Yami sighed. "Baka parents."

XxX

_Friday _

History was as uneventful as usual. Jou quietly yawned and saw a crumpled piece of paper fall onto his desk. He opened it up and read it to himself.

_'Jou! Where the hell is Kaiba!' – Yami_

The blonde was a little confused. He wrote down a response and sent it back.

The teen rolled his eyes at his friends answer.

_'Why?' – Jou_

He simply answered with an _'It's none of your business! Now where the hell is he!'_

'_He told me that he had an important meeting today at Kaiba Corp. But he'll be here at lunch.'_

Yami growled. "Damn it!" He slammed his fist on his desk, bringing thirty pairs of eyes to him.

Morita-san smiled. "Yes! Exactly! That's just was I was thinking! I'm glad you're paying attention, Atemu-san. And I'm impressed! I never knew you were so . . . excited about our country's history."

He stood up. "Well . . . of course I am. It's just so . . . intense . . ."

"Truer words were never spoken by you, Atemu-san."

The class laughed at him as he sat down.

Jou got his attention and gave him a thumbs up. "Good cover, pal."

--

Yami was anxiously pacing around the tree where he and his friends would always eat lunch.

"Yami, calm down! Seto will be here any minute!" Jou said. "Now would you stop pacing!"

He glared. "Well excuse me for being impatient."

Honda finished off his drink. "You're excused. Any way, would you just sit down and tell us what's going on? Why do you want Kaiba here so badly? Is he seeing you on the side or something?"

"HONDA!" Jou got him into a headlock. "Don't even _joke_ about that!"

He strained to apologize, but was released when he did.

Yami fell to the ground. "Ugh . . . I hate waiting. It's the worst."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Seto's coming." Jou pointed straight ahead.

Sitting up, Yami smiled. "It's about time, Kaiba! Where the hell have you been!"

The CEO sat beside his boyfriend and kissed him on the cheek. "Hello, puppy."

He smiled. "Hey. So where have you been?"

"Talking to Yuugi-kun."

The blonde blinked. "Why were you talking to him?"

"I did it as a favor to Yami actually." Seto smiled at the said teen. "And you know what? He totally loves you back."

Yami blushed like mad. "R-really?"

"Yup. You should have seen him when I mentioned your name! He was blushing almost as much as you!"

The teen glared. "Shut up."

Honda butted in. "Hold on. Why did Yami want you to talk to him?"

"Actually, I volunteered. I had a theory and I wanted to prove it. Now that I have, I know exactly how Yuugi feels for you." Seto paused. "Mind you, he didn't actually _say_ he loved you, but it was pretty obvious."

Jou smiled at his boyfriend. "Seto, that's so nice of you!"

He shrugged. "I guess. Just don't go spreading it around."

Yami inched closer. "Well, what did he say about me?"

Seto recalled all of Yuugi's words and spilled them through his mouth. "Let's see. He said you were kind, sweet, affectionate, caring, protective, but in a good way. Not possessive, or anything. He just wouldn't stop talking about you! He was acting like a little schoolgirl. He's fallen for you, without a doubt."

"I knew he loved you!" Jou turned to Honda. "Fork it over, Honda! You lose!"

Honda groaned and handed over the agreed amount of money.

Seto raised an eyebrow. "You two bet on something?"

Jou nodded. "Yup. I said, Yami would have found out Yuugi loved him before the end of the week. Honda didn't think so, so I figured why not get some money out of this?"

"Wait . . . you two _knew _how Yuugi felt for me?"

Honda shrugged. "Well, yeah! It was kind of obvious."

"And no one told me!"

"We wanted you to figure it out on your own!" Seto defended.

Yami glared. "That's just sick!"

Jou waved his hand. "Oh get over it."

He huffed. "So how did Mai allow you to talk with Yuugi, Kaiba?"

"Mai? She wasn't with him."

Honda blinked. "Well, she hasn't skipped school. Maybe she just went to the bathroom?"

Yami agreed. That would be the only excuse that Mai would ever leave Yuugi's side.

"So now what?" Yami asked. "What do I do now, since I know how he feels?"

Seto paused. "The best thing to do now is to keep lying low, but not as low as before. Make more advances on him, but don't let them imply too much. If you give your feelings away-"

"Well, why not just tell Yuugi how he feels?" Honda asked. "It's not like Yuugi'll reject him."

Jou shook his head. "That might make sense, but he can't do that. We don't know for sure if Yuugi won't reject Yami. Besides, it's a little too soon. Listen to Seto, he knows what he's doing. Trust me."

Seto grinned. "After all, how else do you think I seduced Jou? It took some serious skill and maneuvering to-"

"Kaiba!" Yami held up a hand. "Just stop. I'll listen to what you have to say but only if it's not about your sex life."

Jou growled. "Damn it! There's more to this relationship then just sex, you know! This-" he pointed to himself and to Seto. "-isn't lust! It's a little something called love! We care about each other! We don't screw whenever we can! We have lives outside of the bedroom!"

"Hush, puppy." Seto said. "I wasn't finished, you know. Besides, it's rude to interrupt."

Honda nodded. "Yeah, but you do it all the-"

"Shut up, Hiroto." He looked back at Yami. "ANYWAY! Just keep him guessing and don't reveal too much. Then when the time is right, you choke him with love until he can't breath and then he dies!"

Yami's jaw hit the floor. "WHAT!"

He rolled his azure eyes. "Not _exactly_ like that. Focus, people."

(Masami: oh wow, Seto was totally out of character there….but so what? It's AU, it's my story so ha! Sorry Seto fangirls. I'll try to keep him semi in character lol)

XxX

Yuugi sighed gently as he fell back onto the grass. "What am I going to do? How on earth am I going to get a job? No one will want to employ someone who looks like they're ten years old!"

_'Maybe I should ask Kaiba-san. He's the CEO of Kaiba Corp. so he's got know some place I can work.'_

Suddenly, something hit his leg. He sat up and looked in the direction that the tap came from.

"Oh, hey Mai."

She smiled and sat beside him. "What were you doing?"

"Just . . . thinking and . . . daydreaming."

Mai rolled her violet eyes. "As usual. You know, it might be a good idea to focus on the world around you instead of some magical perfect world in your head."

He nodded once. "You're absolutely right. It's time I got a grip on reality and pulled my head from the clouds."

Mai couldn't believe her ears. Yuugi was agreeing with her on this? The two of them had often discussed this subject, but Yuugi had always rolled his eyes and dejectedly said, 'whatever.'

There wasn't even a trace of sarcasm in his voice of in his eyes. She stared at him. "You're serious aren't you?"

He smiled. "Well of course! I know now that I can't just live inside my imaginary world anymore. I have to be apart of the real world and do something with myself."

Mai was stunned into silence. _'How did he change so quickly? There's absolutely no way he would ever agree with me before. So why now?'_

The bell rang, ending lunch. They stood up and gathered their things for school to continue.

XxX

_Monday_

It was the day the projects were due. Yuugi was terrified that he had to stand in front of the entire class and present it. Yami had assured him that nothing would go wrong so his nerves weren't as shaky.

Morita-san called out their names and Yuugi swore his heart skipped a beat.

Yami put a hand on his back when he stood beside the other's desk. He smiled in a reassuring way that made Yuugi's heartbeat at a regular pace.

(A/N: I'm not gonna have the presentation because I don't know anything about Japan's history. I could look it up but…….i'm lazy :P just use your imagination or look it up your self! lol n.n)

Yuugi took a deep breath and slowly let it out. _'That was horrible! All those eyes staring at me! But at least I didn't screw up. I guess Yami was right. There was nothing to worry about.'_

Yami chuckled when he saw Yuugi heavily sigh. _'He was so nervous with all those people watching him. But he showed amazing courage when it was his turn to speak. I couldn't believe how brave he was.'_

Yami's ears burned when he heard Morita-san calling Ushio's name. As usual, the oversized bully had nothing prepared for his project. That was normal.

What wasn't normal was something that worried Yami. The first time Yuugi and he went to the library, two of Ushio's friends had accused the teen of practically having sex with Yuugi.

Ushio would never just let that slide, or not care about it. He would have been shouting rude remarks from the other side of the school so everyone could hear. He would have made them the school laughing stock!

So why hadn't he even tried to attack them? Was he waiting for something, or just toying with their minds?

Yami sighed. _'I wish I knew what he was planning. He just better not touch Yuugi! If he does I'll kill him!'_

"Yami?"

He blinked. "What? Oh, um, what is it Yuugi?"

The boy had tilted his head in wonderment. "Is something wrong? The bell rang and you haven't moved."

Yami laughed. "Oh, is that all? Well, I'm sorry. I tend to space out a lot. I was just thinking about something."

"What were you thinking about?"

He didn't want to tell Yuugi. If the boy knew, then he would walk down the halls in fear, always looking over his shoulder. He didn't want Yuugi to be afraid so he simply said, "It's kind of personal."

The boy smiled and shrugged. "Ok. So? Shall we go to Science?"

They walked down the hall together without the presence of Mai. Yuugi felt bad for leaving before she had arrived to escort him, but he was sure his stepsister wouldn't mind. After all he was with Yami . . . oh wait, Mai doesn't like Yami. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. But there wasn't anything he could do about it now.

"Yuugi, I'm very proud of you."

The boy blinked. "What?"

"You did so well for our presentation! I'm amazed at the courage you showed!"

He laughed. "Oh, that. Well, truthfully, I was absolutely terrified! I hate having so much attention."

"Well you sure hid it really well. I thought you looked very confident and knew just what you were doing."

Yuugi scoffed. "Yeah right. I've never had much confidence in front of a lot of people."

Yami smiled. "Well, don't worry. Someday you will."

--

All through science class, Yuugi's stomach was upset. It wasn't his nervousness from the presentation, but from the anger he could feel radiating off of Mai. He was a little worried about what she was going to do now.

She was furious that Yami had escorted her stepbrother to science without her knowledge. Mai was so angry that she accidentally broke her pen in half, spilling the ink all over her hand and wrist.

It was about half way through class and Mai was still in the bathroom washing it off.

After she left, Yami sent Yuugi a note saying, _'She probably thought that pen was me!'_

Yuugi had to cover his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. He looked over and mouthed, 'probably.'

Mai returned to the classroom and sat between them again. Yuugi gave her a pencil and smiled.

She picked it up and glared at him. Yuugi flinched and turned back to his worksheet.

Yami's brow became wrinkled. _'What's wrong with her? Is she angry with Yuugi or something? Why? He didn't do anything.'_

"Atemu! Get back to work!"

He eeped and started writing again.

--

After science, Mai held Yuugi back and they waited until everyone left, including the teacher.

She tightly held his arm and turned him around to face her.

"Yuugi, don't you ever be alone with Atemu ever again! Not without my knowledge and not without my permission! Understand?"

He winced from her tight grip and nodded. "Yes! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

She released him. "Good. Now get to math and I'll see you at lunch."

Yuugi quickly nodded and ran to his next class. He quickly sat in his desk, and sighed.

"Hey, Yuugi?" It was Jou. "Are you all right?"

He took a shaky breath and sighed. "Un. I'll be all right."

From his left, he could see Jou raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You look really scared."

"I'll be fine."

Yami, who sat on his right, leaned towards him. "Yuugi, did Mai do something to you?"

He mutely shook his head.

Jou and Yami exchanged glances. They both knew he was lying and silently agreed to ask him about it later.

--

At lunch, Yuugi sat silently beside Mai as they ate. Again, all he had was a sandwich and a drink, but he didn't need much. Besides, he was content with what he had.

Mai however, wasn't. She was still fuming mad and took huge, savage bits of her sandwich. When she finished her drink in one gulp, she crushed the can and threw it against the wall.

Yuugi flinched. His curiosity got the better of him and he sat up straight. "Mai? What's wrong?"

"That's none of your business!" She fiercely glared at him.

He gulped and backed away from her a bit. Yuugi stared at the ground and never touched his half eaten sandwich or unopened drink. He had suddenly lost his appetite.

--

Yami sighed.

"Hey, is something wrong, buddy?" Honda asked. "You seem kind of upset."

He huffed. "Yeah. It's just . . . I don't know. Mai seems really mad. More then usual, I mean. And it's not just at me. She's really mad at Yuugi too. I don't know why though. He didn't do anything." Yami shrugged. "I guess I'm just really worried."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

He and Jou exchanged a glance.

The CEO put his arm around Jou's neck. "Alright, puppy. What's going on?"

Jou looked at Yami for permission and the teen simply nodded. Jou turned to his boyfriend. "Well . . . Yami noticed Mai held Yuugi back after class. And when he came in, he was really pale and shaking. We don't know what she did to him, but it really scared him."

Honda blinked. "But why would Mai do anything like that in the first place? She always wants Yuugi to be safe and happy."

"Exactly!" Yami said. "That's why we're worried. I'll try to talk to Yuugi in gym when we get changed or maybe when we clean the second floor together."

They wished him good luck as the bell rang.

--

Social studies was about as exciting as ever. Yami would occasionally write something down just incase Kurowaka-san was looking. He would also steal glances at Yuugi from time to time.

The teen had most certainly calmed down but he still looked a little shaken up.

_'What the hell did Mai do?'_

Yami silently ripped a piece of paper out of his binder and wrote something down. He quickly tossed the note onto Yuugi's desktop and waited.

The boy saw a folded paper on his desk. He opened it up and read it to himself.

_"Yuugi, what's wrong? Are you ok?" – Yami_

Yuugi stared at the quickly scribbled note. Could Yami know something was wrong? Was it that obvious? He wrote down a response and passed it back to his friend.

_"I'm ok, Yami. I just didn't get much sleep last night."_

The teen sighed. He sent the note back with a countering reply.

_"But you were fine in history this morning."_

Yuugi mentally swore. He had been caught! Obviously, Yami knew something was up. He couldn't hide it any more so he wrote back,

_"All right. You win. I'll talk to you about it when we clean the halls ok?"_

Yami mutely nodded and was glad that Yuugi would explain to him what happened. Right now, though, he wished he had some kind of power to speed up time!

(Masami: He may not……BUT I CAN! MWAHAHAHAHAH-cough cough dammit! )

--

The halls were cleaned and their supplies were put away. Now Yuugi and Yami sat on a bench together.

The teen waited patiently for Yuugi to speak up. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long.

"Yami?"

He looked to the boy. "Yes?"

Yuugi played with the hem of his jacket, a nervous habit he had developed as a child. "Um . . . was there ever a time . . . when someone you really cared about . . . uh, hurt you?"

He had expected as much. But to Yami, that didn't tell him enough to assume anything. "Well, Yuugi, there are all kinds of hurt. Emotional, Physical, mental, even a few others, I'm sure."

"Well . . . what if it's physical?"

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _'I was afraid of this.'_

Yami got off the bench and knelt in front of Yuugi. Their gazes locked as Yami held both of Yuugi's hands.

"Yuugi . . . tell me what she did. It's ok to tell me. I can help you. And I promise no one will be hurt."

He swallowed. "D-do you promise?"

"Of course."

Yuugi nodded. "W-well . . . she . . . didn't _really_ hurt me . . . I'm just . . . scared."

"Why? What happened?"

He took a shaky breath and continued. "After she held me behind . . . Mai . . . s-she . . ."

Tears started to over flow from his eyes.

"What?" Yami gently proded.

Taking another deep breath, Yuugi retracted one of his hands and pulled him arm out of his jacket. He wore a tank top so once his arm was withdrawn from his sleeve, there was only bare skin.

But on his bright, fair skin was a light, black-ish blue bruise. It was shaped in such a way that it was as if the fingers of a hand had wrapped around his upper arm just below his armpit and held him in a vice like grip.

Yami gasped. He gently ran his fingers down the discoloration and pulled back when Yuugi winced.

He wiped away the tears that were falling down the tenshi's face.

"Oh Yuugi."

He sniffed. "I'm just really scared, Yami. Mai said she would never hurt me. She promised. But . . . now . . . Yami, she didn't even care!"

Yuugi's body was shaking with sobs now as his tears fell even faster.

Yami returned to his spot on the bench and held Yuugi close. He was careful not to put pressure on the bruise so he wouldn't hurt him.

Yami had one hand in Yuugi's hair and the other was gently rubbing his back.

He whispered soothing words in the boy's ear to calm him down. "Shh . . . Yuugi, it's ok. Don't cry."

"I'm sorry. I just- I'm so scared! I don't know what to do!" His breath hitched in his throat a few times before he started sobbing again. "You should have seen her face! It was so angry! She was furious at me for being alone with you for two seconds with out her knowing!

But it wasn't your fault! I should have just waited for her but I didn't! I just wanted to be with you alone for a minute! Was that wrong of me, Yami? Did I commit some kind of crime!"

Yami shook his head. "Not at all, Yuugi! You did nothing wrong. Mai just wants to protect you. When she doesn't know where you are or who you're with, it scares her. She was just really concerned. But knowing you were with me was what set her off. She doesn't trust me and unless she can keep an eye on me, it worries her when we're together. But I swear you did nothing wrong, Yuugi."

He sniffed. "Really?"

Yami nodded and pulled back, holding Yuugi's face in his hands. "It's Mai that's done wrong. She shouldn't have hurt you like that. It may not have been on purpose, but that isn't much of an excuse."

Yuugi nodded. "Yami? Please don't tell anyone about this. I know I've asked a lot from you already but-"

"Yuugi, who on earth would I tell? I know for a fact that Mai doesn't subject you to any form of abuse. You're safe with her so there's no reason any one else should know about this."

The boy smiled and embraced his friend. "Thank you so much Yami. I'm glad I have you for a friend."

"I'm glad you're my friend too, Yuugi."

They stayed in the embrace until Yami heard footsteps. He pulled back and stood up, ready to protect Yuugi.

"Yami?"

"Someone's coming. Quick, put your jacket back on."

Yuugi obediently slipped his arm back into his sleeve. He could feel his heart beating hard against his ribs. Who could it be?

The echoing footsteps were just around the corner. Yami saw the person come into the hallway and tensed.

Mai looked impassive as she walked closer. "Hey, Atemu."

The teen blinked. _'Well, that was odd. She almost sounded friendly.'_

She stood in front of Yuugi, who couldn't look up at her. "Yuugi . . ."

He couldn't do it. He couldn't look at her. What would she do if he did?

"Little brother . . . let's go home ok?" She asked in a soft, kind voice.

Yuugi looked up at her. _'Mai only calls me little brother when she's really sad. Maybe . . . she's upset about what she did.'_

Mai held out her hand, patiently waiting for Yuugi to take it. In her eyes, Yuugi could see regret. She _must_ be sorry. Why else would there be tears in her eyes?

Yuugi almost turned his head to see what Yami would say, but he stopped himself. This was a family matter and he had to decide on his own what to do with it.

As if unsure, Yuugi grasped Mai's hand and stood up. "I want to go home now."

Mai smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Yuugi beamed at Yami just before they left and the teen smiled right back at him.

Yami wasn't quiet sure what had happened between the two siblings just now, but he was sure it was a brother-sister thing. Being an only child, he had never experienced such a feeling.

But he knew Yuugi was all right now. It seems, in Yuugi and Mai's own way, they had made up . . .

XxX

_Tuesday_

The next day went by very quickly. And just as Yami was putting away their cleaning supplies, Yuugi said he had to use the bathroom.

But in truth, the young teenager was in searching for the CEO of Kaiba Corp. He needed to get a job to help out Mai pay the bills and buy clothes and food. Kaiba had to know someplace that would be good for him to work, or at least, that's what he hoped.

Yuugi had received a stroke of luck. Seto was just at his locker putting away his slippers and books. As usual, he had no homework and couldn't wait to spend the day with his boyfriend.

Out of nowhere, there was a star shaped image in the corner of his eye. He turned to his left and was surprised to see Yuugi standing there.

"Hello Yuugi-kun. What's up?"

He sighed and muttered to himself. "Um . . . not much, Seto-san. I-I was just . . . wondering if I could talk to you for a second."

The six foot tall teen agreed and the left the locker room to talk in private.

"Um . . . Seto-san. I know this will sound . . . odd, but if you knew anything that could help me it would be greatly appreciated."

He shrugged. "I'll help however I can. So what did you want to ask me?"

"Ok. I'm . . . kind of looking for a job. I don't really know where to look or any place that's hiring, or would hire someone like me. But if you knew where I could work . . ."

Seto smiled. "Oh I see. Well, I think I know one place that's hiring. And I'm sure they'll pick you."

"Really!" Yuugi squealed. "Are you sure they'll pick me?"

He nodded. "Of course. I think you would be perfect for the job."

Yuugi slowly gasped. He dropped all his things and ran up to Seto to hug him. "Oh, thank you so much, Seto-san! You don't know what this means to me!"

"Whoa!" Seto was very surprised that Yuugi had hugged him. "Take it easy, Yuugi!"

He laughed and released the CEO's waist. "Sorry, Seto-san. I'm just really glad you could help me."

Seto smiled. "It's no problem." He pulled a piece of paper and pen from one of his jacket pockets. He scribbled something down and folded it. He gave it to Yuugi and put his pen away.

"This is the address of your job. Go their right after school tomorrow. And don't worry, I can set it all up for you."

Yuugi's brow wrinkled. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. The owner is someone I know pretty well so I can get everything arranged."

Yuugi smiled and politely bowed. "Arigatou, Seto-san."

"Yuugi!" Mai waved him over. "Let's go! I have to get to work!"

He nodded. "Bai bai, Seto-san!"

Yuugi caught up with Mai after Seto bid him farewell. When they were outside the building Mai turned her head to Yuugi.

"So what were you two talking about?"

Yuugi bit his lip. _'Well . . . here it goes.'_

He stopped walking but didn't look up at her. "Please don't be angry Mai . . . but I asked Seto-san if he knew a place where I could get a job."

"WHAT!"

He flinched. Yuugi hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of what happened when Mai held him back after class the other day.

Yuugi bravely lifted his head and looked her straight in the eyes. "Please don't be mad Mai! I just wanted to help!"

"Yuugi, you don't have to get a job to help."

He vigorously nodded. "Yes I do! I saw your last paycheck. They keep giving you less and less. I know you get in fights with your boss and he cuts your pay. That's why I need a job too. Besides, I need to start pulling my weight!"

She blinked. "Yuugi . . ."

"I don't mean to offend you . . . but please. Just let me do this one thing . . . for us."

Mai was in shock. She had never seen Yuugi so confident . . . and he had never looked her straight in the eyes.

_'This city had changed him so much. I can't believe it. But I suppose it's for the best.'_

She smiled. "All right. But I'm going with you tomorrow to make sure everything's ok."

Yuugi embraced her and smiled. "Thank you so much."

They continued walking as Mai asked Yuugi questions.

"So where will you be working?"

He pulled out the address and gave it to her. "Seto-san didn't tell me what I'd be doing though. But I trust him. I know he wouldn't let me do anything dangerous."

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess Kaiba's all right."

There was silence between them as they neared their apartment. Then, Yuugi asked,

"Mai? Why don't you like Yami?"

She sighed. "Yuugi, I don't want to talk about that right now."

"He's a really good person and I know he would never hurt me. If you got to know him you'd-"

Mai stared at him. "Yuugi, that's enough. Just drop it. I am not in the mood to talk about Atemu right now ok?"

He sadly nodded as they walked up the stairs to apartment number six. Mai unlocked the door and they entered.

"Now get to your homework ok? Watanabe-san and Kurowaka-san said you have a set of questions to complete."

He nodded. "Hai."

Yuugi walked over to the couch and sat down before pulling out his binder. He carefully watched as Mai entered the bedroom.

He sighed heavily and loudly. _'Why is Mai doing this? Whenever I ask why she doesn't like Yami, she refuses to talk about it. I just don't understand.'_

But he knew Mai would get angry if he wasn't working on his assignments. Even though he was confused about his stepsister's extreme dislike towards Yami, he had a smile on his face.

_'Tomorrow I start my first job. I can't wait to see what Seto-san has set up for me.'_

XxX

_Wednesday_

The last class of the day was Gym. Yuugi was actually excited today. He couldn't wait to play badminton! If there was one good thing about school he remembered, it was all the fun he had playing badminton.

Plus he was really good at it. And as an added bonus, Yami was his partner! With all the good aspects of this day, Yuugi had a permanent smile on his face.

Yami stood outside the door of the boys' locker room. He smiled when Yuugi emerged through the entrance.

"You ready, aibou?"

Yuugi blushed. "W-what?"

He smiled. "Well, you and I are partners aren't we?" He paused. "For the tournament?"

"Oh! Um . . . Yeah! Yeah we . . . are . . ." Yuugi forcefully laughed. _'I can't believe he just called me aibou!'_

Yami held Yuugi's hand and tangled their fingers. "Then shall we, aibou?"

Yuugi squeaked. "Mmm hmm."

His face was burning with embarrassment. But he didn't mind. He actually gripped Yami's hand in a loving kind of way to respond.

Yami looked over his shoulder and winked.

They entered the gymnasium and Yuugi ripped his hand away. Yami looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

He sharply tilted his head to the right. Yami saw Mai standing in the corner and understood why he pulled away. If Mai saw them like that someone would be killed.

They still walked together but didn't hold hands or touch each other. Mai got up and walked over to them as if to keep a sharper eye on Yami.

Sakamoto-san called everyone over to her so she could prepare everyone with the proper gear.

"All right! Does everyone have a partner?"

Yuugi blushed and giggled a bit. _'Aibou!'_

"Good! Now, take a racket and a birdie and practice for ten minutes. Then I'll tell you who's going against whom in the tournament."

Yuugi quickly picked up a blue racket that sparkled since it was the first one that caught his eye. He smiled as Yami took a crimson coloured one. It automatically reminded him of Yami's unique eyes of the same hue. For some reason, it just seemed to fit.

Yami had a birdie in hand and took several steps back. "Ready aibou?"

Yuugi giggled again and nodded.

"Service!" Yami sent the birdie flying toward Yuugi. The boy sent it back with more force and accuracy then Yami had ever seen before.

"Good form, Motou!" Sakamoto-san praised. "Katsuya! You're holding the birdie wrong!"

Yuugi laughed as Yami missed the birdie and fell back. "Sorry, Yami. I should probably take it easy on you."

He chuckled and stood up. "I don't think so, Yuugi. You see . . . this is a game. And I refuse to take a handicap just because I missed one shot."

Yuugi smirked. "Ok. I won't hold back. But you had better show me your best or else you'll be falling on your ass all day long!"

Yami smacked the birdie with all his might. But for Yuugi it wasn't even enough to make him move to get under it. He fake yawned and sent it right back to Yami.

The teen missed it and the tip of the birdie hit Yami on top of the head.

"Is that your best, Yami? Because that's not enough!"

He growled. "Not even close!"

For ten minutes it continued on like that. Yuugi was clearly dominating the match between them. But Sakamoto-san took the birdie away when it was flying in midair.

"Awwww . . ." They wined.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on boys! It's time for the tournament." She pulled out her clipboard and looked it over once. "Ok! In court one: Kaiba-san and Katsuya versus Atemu and Motou! In court two: Ryuugi and Hiroto versus Ushio and Yoshikuni! And in court three: Mazaki and Hara versus Hamano and Nakashima! At the end of each match, tell me who wins and I'll tell you who goes against whom next! Everyone else, sit back and relax . . . for now."

Yuugi and Yami smiled across the court and Seto and Jou.

"You ready to lose for the first time in your life, Atemu!" Jou yelled.

Yuugi grinned. "Well, I think he already lost against me!"

Yami glared. "Yuugi! What are you doing?"

Seto laughed. "Nice one, Yuugi-kun! I can't wait to tell Mokuba about this!"

There was a fifteen-minute time limit to each match. But it was more then enough time for Yuugi to defeat Seto.

It wasn't a team effort for either pair. Yuugi and Seto were the only ones who would hit the birdie because they wouldn't let Yami and Jou even try to go for it.

But Yami had no problem with this. As long as he got to rub it in Seto's face he had fun.

The next match worried Yami. It was Yuugi and himself versus Ushio and his friend. What would Ushio do now that they had to face each other? Sure it was only badminton . . . but who knows what he had planned.

Surprisingly, Ushio didn't have anything planned. He played a fair, almost friendly game against the two of them. That was until Sakamoto-san turned her back to them.

While she wasn't looking, Ushio batted the birdie away. But at the same time he threw his racket at Yuugi hitting him in the shoulder.

"Hey! You asshole! How dare you!"

Sakamoto-san turned and glared. "Atemu! You know I don't approve of that language."

Thankfully the buzzer went off and the match ended. Yuugi and Yami still won but it didn't matter.

They weren't facing anyone next so Yami pulled Yuugi off to the side. Jou and the others crowded around him as well.

"Yuugi, are you all right?" Yami asked.

He smiled. "Of course. I'm fine Yami. Don't worry. He didn't hurt me."

Yami was glad but still kept an eye on Ushio. He wouldn't feel safe until the day was over.

--

Yuugi had been biting his lip all day. He couldn't wait until the school day ended. He was vigorously moping the floor in anticipation and in impatience. He stopped when Yami quickly grabbed the mop away from him.

"Whoa! Take it easy, Yuugi. You'll mop a hole in the floor. What's wrong?"

He sheepishly laughed and took back the mop. "Well . . . I guess you could say I have an appointment."

Yami blinked. "What kind of an appointment?"

"Wha- . . . you mean Seto-san hasn't told you about it yet?"

When the teen shook his head, Yuugi raised an eyebrow. "Well that's odd. I was sure he would have told you."

"Told me what exactly?"

Yuugi smiled. "Well, yesterday I asked if Seto-san knew a place where I could get a job. He told me he did know somewhere and said he would set it all up for me. After school today I have to go there to get started."

He blinked again. "Mai is letting you work?"

Yuugi nodded. "Well, I had to convince her a bit first but yeah she said I could.

"Right. So, where are you working?"

The boy fished in his pocket to retrieve the piece of paper but his pocket was empty. "Oh no. I forgot to get it back from Mai. I hope she still has it because I don't remember where I'm supposed to go."

He chuckled. "I'm sure she has it. But really, Yuugi, I'm very proud of you."

"What? You're proud of me? Why?"

Yami smiled at him. "Well, you went up to Kaiba all on your own, asked him if he could help you find a job, then stood up to Mai when she might have said no."

"Oh." There was a small tint of pink on the boy's cheeks. "That's not really something to be proud of."

The teen held Yuugi's chin and looked him straight in the eyes. "Oh, but I do. I think it was very brave and . . . endearing."

The tint on his cheeks brightened to that of a radish. "I . . . um . . . t-t-thank you, Yami."

He grinned in a captivating, seductive way. He chuckled deeply in his throat and leaned forward. "You're _very_ welcome . . . Yuugi."

Yuugi started to pant. Yami's face was so near to his and getting closer by the second.

A fog started to cloud over his mind. _'Is Yami . . . going to kiss me? Does he really want to?'_

There was only one way to find out. Yuugi started to lean forward and slowly closed his eyes.

Yami kept his eyes only half lidded. He just couldn't keep his eyes off the alluring boy in front of him. He was just so beautiful.

And now he could finally he could show this boy how much he loved him.

Yami was so close he could feel Yuugi's heated breath against his face. Their lips had just about grazed on the other and-

"Achoo!"

Yuugi had sneezed all over Yami's face. The teen stepped back and yelped. He rubbed his sleeve on his face and cleared his throat.

"What was that?"

Yuugi covered his mouth as he sneezed again. "I'm so sorry, Yami. Achoo! I think I'm allergic to your cologne or something."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Oh wow. My nose is just burning."

Yami gently held his shoulders. "Are you all right?"

"Oh yeah, I'll be ok. It's not a serious allergy." He sneezed for one final time. Yuugi took a deep breath in through his nose and sighed. "Ok. I'm fine. I'm really sorry, Yami. I tried to hold it back but that just made it even worse."

He laughed. "Don't worry Yuugi. No harm done."

"I still feel really bad. What if I got you sick or something?"

Yami laughed even harder. "Yuugi, stop. Allergies aren't contagious. I'll be just fine. One sneeze won't kill me, honestly. You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

Yuugi hesitated. "Are you sure?"

He nodded and embraced the shorter. "I promise I'll be fine. And I'm not mad. You can't help it so nothing could have been done. Just please don't get upset over me. I don't want to see you cry, not again."

Yuugi silently gasped. "Why do you always want me to be happy, Yami?"

"Because you should be. I hate seeing you sad. When you cry, it hurts to see your tears. You so deserve to be happy. You've done nothing wrong to be condemned with constant depression. Besides," Yami pulled back and held Yuugi's chin again. "You're so beautiful when you smile."

Yuugi gasped. His entire face was burning from such a flattering comment. He couldn't believe Yami had just called him beautiful! Was this real? Could it be a dream?

_'I don't care if it is. I just don't want this to end.'_

Yuugi nuzzled his nose against Yami's chest, and then rested his cheek against it. "Thank you so much, Yami."

The teen watched his secret crush be so affectionate to him. Then he held him close once more.

_'Yuugi . . . I wish I could tell you that I love you. I want to tell you right now and kiss you to prove that I did! But I feel that right now is not the right time. But will there ever be a right time for it? What if it already passed? An opportunity could have made itself present . . . but then I missed it. Could that have truly happened? Please don't let it be true. Please. Anything but that.'_

He held Yuugi like a lifeline. He was just so afraid that one day, he would lose Yuugi to someone else. He knew he shouldn't think like that, but he just couldn't help it. And the more he thought about it, the more scared he became. Yami closed his eyes tightly to try and keep his tears from falling. But one of them had slipped past the barrier and fell onto Yuugi's cheek.

The boy blinked. He looked up and saw a terrible, pained expression on Yami's face. _'Have I hurt him in someway? Why would he be in pain in the first place?'_

"Yami?" But he didn't answer. "Yami please don't cry. If I did something wrong, I'm sorry. Please don't be sad."

Yami vaguely heard Yuugi's sweet, soft, caring voice calling out to him. He still couldn't answer the boy but just held him closer.

_'Please, Yuugi. Just stay with me. I'm sorry I'm being so weak . . . but I just need to be. I just need you to stay with me. Don't ever leave me.'_

Yuugi sighed and held Yami in a tight grip. "It's ok, Yami. You don't have to be sad."

He could feel Yami's body shaking from trying not to sob in Yuugi's presence. "Yami, please. Just let it out. It's ok. I won't tell anyone and you don't have to be embarrassed."

Yuugi's words were kind and sounded so inviting. But the teen was simply too stubborn to break down in front of Yuugi like that. The boy continued to try and persuade him, but after a few minutes, Yami had gathered his composure.

He took a deep breath and stepped away from Yuugi, not even daring to make eye contact. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. I just couldn't stop myself."

Yuugi smiled and nodded. "It's ok. I completely understand." He reached out to touch Yami's arm, but the teen stepped back.

"Please . . . just go home, Yuugi."

Yami turned his back and started to walk away.

Yuugi stared at his withdrawing back. "Yami . . .?"

He didn't even look over his shoulder before he turned the corner. Yuugi bit his lip. He was inwardly debating whether he should chase after him or just leave him be.

Mai came up behind him and said they had to get going.

_'I guess that's a sign to just leave him alone. I'll see you tomorrow Yami.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Masami: CUT! That's a wrap! Thanks everyone!

Yami: Man! I'm glad that's over with! (sigh)

Yuugi: Yeah. Let's just go home and wait for the next scene.

Again! I'm really sorry for the super long delay. I hope you enjoyed this super long chapter! (8621 words and 31 pages) I'll try to update again really soon! I hope (sweat)

REVIEW!


	6. The Job Of A Life Time

Masami: Ok, people! Let's get it together!

Seto: (frowns)

Masami: oh stop complaining, Seto! You're an actor! Just get over it!

Yuugi: what's he so upset about?

Make-up Artists: please don't speak, Motou-san.

Masami: He thinks his character is too goody goody.

Seto: All I'm saying is I don't like being so nice and giving advice!

Masami: That's why you ACT like you do! Now get into your costume and take your spot in the stage. Is everyone else ready?

(the make-up artist leaves)

Yuugi: now I am!

Masami: places everyone! Hurry up Seto!

(Seto walks on stage reluctantly)

Masami: (sits in director's chair) OK! Yami start pacing, and ready? Lights! ROLL CAMERA DAMION! ACTION!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Duel Six: The Job Of A Life Time

_Thursday_

Yami paced back and forth in front of his history class entrance, trying to think of a way to apologize to Yuugi. "I'm sorry. I wasn't feeling good yesterday and- no, that's terrible. He knows I wasn't sick . . . Yuugi, I'm sorry for . . . uh . . . damn it! Apologizing was never this hard before."

"That's because you fell in love." Seto said. He was watching Yami and listening to what excuses the teen would come up with while he leaned against the wall. "It's twice as hard to say you're sorry because you don't want to lose the one you love if you say something wrong. It's all very romantic when you think about it."

Yami rolled his eyes. "And since when did you become such an expert in love?"

"Since I've been dating Jou for almost two years now, baka." He stood up straight and unfolded his arms. "Now, I want you to pretend I'm Yuugi."

He blinked. ". . . Excuse me?"

Seto rolled his eyes. "Just trust me on this. I'm Yuugi, all right? Good. Now, apologize to me."

Yami hesitated. _'This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of! But if I pause like this with the real Yuugi, he might think I don't want to say I'm sorry. So I guess I have to practice.' _He took a deep breath and stared at Seto straight in the eyes. "Yuugi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just break down in front of you like that. I shouldn't have done it and I'm sorry."

Seto was about to say something when Yuugi came out from behind him. He stood between them and put his hands on his hips. "Yami, what's wrong with you?"

The teen blushed. He didn't know Yuugi would have heard him at that moment. But since he did, there was no other way around it. "W-what do you mean?"

The boy stared at him. "Why do you want to apologize to me? You didn't do anything wrong. So you cried in front of me for some reason. So what? It's not a crime so why do you think you should beg for forgiveness?"

Yami blinked. He had absolutely no answer to that. What _could_ he say?

"It's ok to let your feelings out when you're around friends. We won't hate you because you felt like crying. It's ok to have moments of weakness. Everyone does. So you have nothing to regret."

Seto was shocked. He may not have known Yuugi all that well, but he was amazed at the strength and confidence he was showing right now. Yami felt exactly the same way. _'Just when you think you have him figured out, he changes himself. Is this maybe how Mai felt when Yuugi stood up to her?'_

When he finally came out of his thoughts, he felt arms around him. "It's ok to feel sad, Yami. But you don't have to be scared." Yuugi said as he nuzzled the teen's chest. "You'll never be alone." Then he whispered, "I'll never leave you."

Yami smiled. Those were the words he had wanted to hear for so long. He instantly held Yuugi close to him. "Thank you, Yuugi." Yami heard the classroom door open and another pair of arms surrounded the two of them.

"Group hug!" It was Morita-san! "Kaiba-san, get in here! Come on!"

Seto just stood there trying not to laugh. Morita-san released Yami and Yuugi and said, "Well, that was fun. We should have another group hug again sometime. Now, how about we start class?"

They nodded, trying to keep a blush from tinting their cheeks. The four of them walked inside and hid their embarrassment from the rest of their classmates. Seto sat down behind Yami and was still snickering. "Jou, you should have seen his face! The shock! It was priceless!"

XxX

Yuugi was stuck cleaning the halls with Yami once again. He didn't have a problem with it; he just wanted the school day to end. He couldn't wait to start the first day of his first job!

( Flashback to Tuesday! )

_Yuugi and Mai made their way down the streets of Domino City. With each step, it took them closer to the place where Seto had found Yuugi a job. The boy, however, still didn't know where that was. Mai hadn't told him and neither had Seto. Why were they keeping it a secret?_

_"Ok. This is the place, Yuugi."_

_The boy looked up at the building . . . and kept looking up. His mouth gaped with shock at the shear size of the structure. It was the tallest building he had ever seen! And right above the door were familiar symbols. Yuugi was far too shocked to realize Mai was pulling him to the gate. She pressed the buzzer and waited._

_"Please state your name and-"_

_"Shut up, you fool! Their guests! Let them in immediately!"_

_"Yes sir, Kaiba-sama!"_

_The gates opened and she continued to walk inside, pulling Yuugi along with her. Mai took off her shoes when they were inside the building and nudged Yuugi to bring him back to the outside world._

_"Yuugi, don't be rude." She pointed to his shoes._

_He paused. "Oh!" Yuugi quickly removed them and waited. Seto came around the corner with a smile. "Hey! I'm glad you came, Yuugi-kun! And it's good to see you too, Mai-san."_

_She crossed her arms. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, what exactly did you want to hire my brother for, Kaiba?"_

_Yuugi blinked. "_You_ want to hire me, Seto-san?"_

_He nodded. "Of course I do. And if the two of you would follow me to my office, we can discuss the matter privately in my office."_

_He led the way and the two siblings went with him. Along the way, Yuugi tried to remember which way they came. 'First a right . . . now a left . . . then up a few stairs . . . then another right . . . and a left- no right. I mean- ah! Too many rights and lefts!'_

_"This is one hell of a maze, Kaiba. Being CEO of a huge company wasn't enough so you had to give your self another challenge by turning your headquarters into a labyrinth?"_

_Yuugi tugged on her sleeve. "Mai! Don't be so mean."_

_Seto laughed. "Don't worry, Yuugi-kun. I took no offence. Besides she does have a point. It can be pretty difficult to maneuver around this place but after a while you get the hang of it."_

_Yuugi forced a laugh out but it came out pretty shaky. He cursed his nervousness and hoped Seto didn't notice. "Don't worry, I'll help you around here if you take the job."_

_Yuugi mentally wined. He noticed. Finally, they arrived at Seto's office. Again, Yuugi was shocked by the size of it. Apparently Seto believes in 'the bigger the better.' Yuugi and Mai sat down on a couch opposite of Seto. The CEO smiled. "Again, I'm very glad you could come. I appreciate you even took my offer into consideration."_

_Yuugi bowed his head. "Thank you for offering. It's very kind of you. But may I ask why you want to hire me?"_

_"Well, first of all, you're a friend of mine so I know I can trust you. Second of all, from what Yami tells me, you would be the perfect man for the job. And third, I need someone to fill this position."_

_Yuugi nodded. He wanted to ask something but Mai interrupted him. "And just what has Atemu been saying about Yuugi?"_

_Seto shrugged. "Nothing bad, that's for sure. He never talks about Yuugi negatively behind your back. But let's see. He's told me that he is kind, sweet, caring, and very dedicated to whatever's important to him." _

_Seto turned to Yuugi and smiled. "He told me that while you were working on your project together, there would be times when Yami would have lost his train of thought and completely forgotten about his research. But you would get him back on track saying this project was important and if he didn't want to fail history, he's better get back to work."_

_Yuugi blushed. "H-he really said all that about me?"_

_The brunette nodded. "And that was all I needed to know. From that information, I could tell this position would be perfect for you."_

_"And what position is that?" Mai asked._

_He stood up. "If you stay here, I'll show you."_

_As he walked away, Mai gave his back a suspicious stare. What could he have been planning? Seto left out the door and returned a few moments later. He stepped aside to reveal a young boy about the age of eleven. He had black hair, and blue eyes and stood just less than five feet. "Yuugi, Mai, this is my little brother, Mokuba."_

_Yuugi stood in his presence and respectively bowed. "Hello. It's very nice to meet you."_

_Mokuba also bowed. "It's nice to meet you too." He looked at his older brother. "Nii-sama, is he going to be my new friend?"_

_"I don't know yet, Mokuba. Let me ask him." Seto approached them. "Yuugi, as you know I am the CEO of Kaiba Corp. As such, I have taken on a lot of responsibilities and most of them take up so much of my time that I can't spend any time with Mokuba. If you say yes, then from time to time, I will call on you to look after my brother and take care of him if and when I am too busy to be with him."_

_Yuugi blinked. "Really? So I'm going to be a babysitter?"_

_"I'm not a baby!" Mokuba yelled._

_He flinched at the young one's harsh tone. "Sorry. But that will be my job?"_

_"If you agree to it then yes. If you have a schedule you must adhere to, then we can work around it so it's more convenient for you. When you have homework, it's all right if you do it here as well. Mokuba _often_ has homework so you could even do it together."_

"_Nii-sama!" The child whined. _

"_And if you ever need help with anything, you can ask one of the members of my staff. They'll be glad to help you in anyway and it won't be any trouble. So? Will you take on the job?"_

_Before Yuugi could say a word, Mai asked, "How much do you plan on paying him?"_

_Yuugi gasped. "Mai!"_

_"3000 yen an hour each day ( 1 )." Seto said, matter-of-factly. Again, the boy gasped. "Bu . . . But Seto-san! That's too much!"_

_He raised an eyebrow. "Too much?"_

_"Yes! It's far too much! I . . . I could never accept that from you!"_

_Seto frowned. "And why not? It's a reasonable price."_

_"Not for taking care of a child, Seto-san."_

_Mokuba grunted. "I'm not a child!"_

_Seto put a hand on Yuugi's shoulder. "Yuugi, trust me. It won't be any trouble if I pay you that much. My company can still stand on its feet without it. And you don't have to feel guilty. 3000 yen isn't even a pin prick if you compare it to how much my company makes in the amount of time you would work for me."_

_"But-"_

_"Yuugi, please. This is a reasonable amount. Trust me. You'll agree once you really get to know Mokuba. He's quite the little hell raiser."_

_"Nii-sama!" He whined again. _

_Yuugi bit his lip. He wanted to take this job so badly so he could help pay for things. But it just didn't feel right taking so much money from Seto. He looked at Mai to see what she had to say. Instead of some inspirational speech, or a few encouraging words, Mai simply shrugged._

_Yuugi looked back at Seto and sighed. "All right. I'll do it."_

_Seto smiled. "Good."_

_"I'll do it. I'll take it! I'll take the job!" He hugged Seto and laughed with joy. "Thank you so much, Seto-san! You won't regret this! I promise I won't let you down!"_

_He laughed. "Yuugi, this isn't some top secret mission you're on. This is just taking care of my brother."_

_Mokuba scowled and whispered a few mocking words under his breath. Yuugi pulled back and nodded. "I know. I'm just really excited. It's my very first job ever!"_

_He nodded. "Yes. So I say we should celebrate. Please, stay for dinner."_

_Mai stood up. "I can't. I have to go to work myself. But can I talk to you for a second Kaiba?"_

_He nodded. "Mokuba, why don't you take Yuugi-kun down to the dining room and wait for me there?"_

_The child nodded. "Ok! It was nice to meet you miss Mai! Come on, Yuugi-kun!"_

_The two left Mai and Seto alone. "So, what's the real reason you're giving him so much money, Kaiba?" She indecently asked._

_Seto sighed. "You heard why. Mokuba's a handful and it's a reasonable price for the job."_

_"Ha!" She crossed her arms. "Don't be ridiculous, Kaiba. No one just gives that much away without there being some kind of catch."_

_He shrugged. "Well, there isn't a catch here. And it's not some kind of charity if that's what you're hinting to. I'm not under the impression that you and Yuugi are desperate for money. Yuugi came to me asking for help and this is the help I'm giving him."_

_She glared at him. "Fine. You win, Kaiba. I'm not in the mood to argue with you anyway. But if I think something's up, I won't hesitate to keep Yuugi away from you."_

_Seto nodded. "But you know, there are trustworthy people out there, Mai. And believe it or not, I'm one of them." She snorted and turned to leave the room._

_"I'll have a car outside to take you to your job. Just go out the way you came and tell the driver where to drop you off."_

_Mai didn't react to his kindness. He knew she heard him but she just kept walking. Dinner was, to say the least, interesting. Mokuba was the life of the party and couldn't stop talking about anything he could think of. Seto was right. Eleven year old child or not, Mokuba won't be easy to catch up with. But no matter what, Yuugi would be up to the challenge._

( End Flashback Of Tuesday)

Yuugi smiled as he put away the mop and clothes. He and Yami had finished early today so they decided to sit on the bench again and enjoy each other's company.

"So you're starting your new job today, eh Yuugi?"

He nodded. "Yeah. And I can't wait. Mokuba is . . . well . . . he's . . ."

Yami laughed. "I know what you mean. You're not quite sure what he is, but you know he certainly is something."

"Yeah. That's true." Yuugi sighed and snuggled close to Yami. The teen put his arm around Yuugi's shoulders and pulled him just a little closer.

"Yuugi?"

"Yeah?"

Yami paused. "I was wondering . . . has Kaiba given you any specific dates you would be working?"

Yuugi thought about it for a moment. "Um . . . not that I know of. Today is for certain but I don't know about a precise schedule. Why?"

"Oh no reason. I was just wondering." Yami silently sighed. _'I should probably call Kaiba tonight and see if my plan would even work. I just need a perfect day to carry it out. But if he's working on that day . . . well, screw Kaiba. I'll just kidnap Yuugi and ask him out anyway.'_

Satisfied with his plan, Yami rested his cheek on the top of Yuugi's head and wrapped his other arm around the boy's petite waist after closing his eyes. He inhaled Yuugi's scent and sighed.

Yuugi's smile widened and he too closed his eyes. _'Yami's so sweet. I love it when he holds me like this. I don't want this moment to end. Maybe Seto-san won't mind if I'm just a little late for work.'_

He could hear Yami's slow, soothing heartbeat and could feel himself gradually drift off to sleep. But a flash of light awoke him. Yami noticed it as well and they sat up properly.

"What was that?" Yuugi inquired. Yami stood up and looked down either end of the hall. "I don't know. Perhaps the lights failed for a moment."

He nodded. Yuugi looked at the clock. "Oh, I should probably get to work now."

As Yuugi stood up and stretched, Yami requested to walk with him. Yuugi at first declined but Yami insisted. Deciding it would be nice to be with him a little longer, Yuugi agreed.

Being with Yuugi a little more wasn't even a quarter of his reason. _'That flash wasn't from the ceiling lights. It was from a camera. I heard the shutter click but Yuugi must have missed it. I'm glad he did. I don't want him to worry. I'm sure Ushio had something to do with it. I want to know what he's planning. Whatever it is, he better not hurt Yuugi.'_

"Yami? Why did Seto-san hire me? Doesn't he have staff that could take care of his brother?" he timidly asked. Yami knew the boy didn't want to offend Seto even if they weren't in his presence.

He smiled. "Kaiba trusts his staff. I think he just wants someone he knows wouldn't hurt his brother in anyway. You never know when someone is lying, but with you he knows he can trust you. You wouldn't hurt a fly."

Yuugi smiled. He felt honored that someone as important as Seto would have such regard for him. Yuugi would make sure not to let Seto down.

The two were silent the rest of the way, hardly exchanging a word. Yuugi would occasionally look at Yami out of the corner of his eye. The teen seemed so tense. He appeared to be watching everything around him as if something would jump out and attack them. Yami stood very close to Yuugi. But it was more of a protective, watchful, and cautious nearness then an intimate one. Yuugi was very concerned. Why was Yami acting so paranoid?

"Yami? What's wrong?"

He blinked and turned his head to look at Yuugi. "What?"

"I asked, what's wrong? You look upset."

Yami sighed. _'I should have known Yuugi would be so insightful.' _He smiled. "It's nothing, Yuugi. I'm fine."

"No, something's wrong. If you really were fine you wouldn't be so tense and your body wouldn't be so stiff like it is."

Again, he sighed. "Yuugi, don't worry. It's really nothing. I just have a headache."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm very sure. Don't worry. I'll take something when I get home."

Yuugi smiled. "Ok."

But inside, Yuugi wasn't satisfied. He knew something was wrong with Yami and he wasn't about to let it go. But he wouldn't let Yami know about it. If Seto had a minute to spare, Yuugi would make sure to ask him about it.

Finally they arrived to the gate. Yuugi took out a piece of paper from his pocket and input a number combination on a keypad. The gate door opened and a computerized voice from a speaker said, _"Welcome to Kaiba Corp. Headquarters, Motou Yuugi."_

He smiled. "Well, I'll see you later Yami."

"Good luck, Yuugi. You just might need it."

He forcefully laughed. "Yeah. Thanks."

Yuugi walked through the gate. It closed behind him and he heard Yami's footsteps departing. _'I know something has upset you, Yami. And I won't rest until I know what it is.'_

He walked up to the sliding door and stepped over the threshold. After removing his shoes, he was slammed against the wall when someone crashed into him. "Yuugi-kun! You're here!"

He coughed a few times. "Mokuba-kun . . . please . . ."

"Mokuba! Get off him! Let him breath!"

Seto quickly pulled his little brother off Yuugi and helped him to sit up. He kneeled beside him and put a hand on his chest and on his back. Yuugi was having a little trouble regaining his breath. His chest felt tight just like it had when he was in the bathroom with Yami. His throat felt constricted as if air couldn't get into his lungs.

_'What's going on? Why can't I breathe! What's happening!'_

Seto saw that Yuugi was starting to panic. He could see the fear in his eyes and knew it was overwhelming him. "Yuugi-kun, just calm down. Don't panic. Just breath." He said in a calm voice. "Everything's all right. You'll be ok. You just need to calm down."

But Yuugi couldn't compose himself. He was so afraid. He could feel his face starting to turn red from the lack of oxygen. Seto leaned closer and whispered in his ear. "Yuugi-kun, just close your eyes. Don't concentrate on breathing. Just concentrate on something. Anything that makes you happy."

_'Makes me happy?' _Yuugi knew it was Seto's voice that was speaking to him and he knew he could trust him. He closed his eyes and the first thing he saw was Yami. Yuugi was with him and they were holding each other.

Yami was gently stroking Yuugi's hair and had his cheek resting on the top of Yuugi's head. He imagined Yami was saying gentle, calming words just like when he did in the bathroom after he met Anzu.

And with that image in his head, he felt a wave of tranquil peace wash over him. His throat and chest didn't feel so tight any more and could feel his lungs expand as he took a deep breath.

He opened his eyes again; Yuugi came face to face with Seto who looked extremely concerned.

"Are you all right now, Yuugi-kun? Does your chest hurt at all? Can you breath all right?"

He slowly nodded. "Yeah . . . I'm ok." Seto turned to his brother and told him to get a glass of water for Yuugi. Once the child was gone, Seto asked him, "What did you think of that calmed you down so quickly?"

Yuugi blushed. "If you promise not to tell him . . . I thought of Yami."

Seto smiled. _'That's what I thought.' _"Don't worry, Yuugi-kun. I won't tell him."

Mokuba returned with the glass of water and gave it to Yuugi. He greedily drank it in one gulp and sighed deeply when he had finished. "Yuugi-kun . . . I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

The boy smiled. "It's all right, Mokuba-kun. I'm fine. There's no harm done. I'm excited to see you too."

Seto's younger brother grinned. "Well I'm glad you're ok."

"Mokuba, why don't you go in your room and finish your homework. I'm going to talk to Yuugi for a minute in my office so you can come see us when you're done, ok?"

He nodded. "Ok! I'll be there in a second!"

Mokuba ran up the stairs and shut the door behind him. As he stood, Seto started to pick Yuugi up bridal style and carried him to the stairs. "U-um . . . Seto-san? Why are you carrying me?"

He smiled. "Well, first of all, you're probably tired from that attack you just had. And even if you can walk, you'll need to save your strength for Mokuba. He'll run you pretty ragged today."

"Hey now. Give him a break. Mokuba-kun wasn't that bad at dinner yesterday."

Seto snorted. "I guess you do have a point. Compared to yesterday he was pretty tame. But it's probably because I was there. He tries to act his best whenever I'm around."

"He must really look up to you, Seto-san."

He nodded. "You know. You don't have to keep calling me Seto-san. You can call me plain old Seto."

Yuugi shook his head. "You're my boss now. It's my duty to give you the respect you deserve."

Seto shrugged. If that's what Yuugi wanted then he wouldn't force him to. When they arrived at his office, Seto put Yuugi on the same couch where he sat with Mai only yesterday. But this time, Seto sat beside him to keep a careful eye on him.

"Yuugi-kun, I'm sorry. I completely forgot you had asthma."

He blinked. "You know?"

"Yes. Yami told me about it after you had that attack in the bathroom at school."

Yuugi looked away. Seto could tell he was embarrassed but of what he wasn't as sure. "Yuugi-kun, don't be ashamed. You can't help it. It's not your fault. But I should have taken your problem into perspective. If I knew this was going to happen I would have offered you a different job."

He shook his head, but still didn't meet his eyes. "No, Seto-san. It's not your fault. It was my responsibility to tell you about it if you didn't all ready know. But I rarely ever have attacks . . . so it's kind of like that old saying. 'Out of site and out of mind.'"

Seto nodded. "I understand. So in a way, we're both at fault. But I am more then you are. I should have controlled my brother."

"No, I'm glad you didn't. Children should be allowed to do as they wish and have fun while they're doing it." Yuugi smiled and looked into Seto's eyes. "You shouldn't force him to live a controlled, thought out and fated life. Let him do as he pleases for a while. After all, when he grows up, he'll never have that freedom."

Seto blinked. "You know what? You're a lot wiser and smarter then you let on."

He laughed. "No, not really. I'm mostly speaking from experience so . . ."

"From experience? What's that mean?"

Yuugi gasped. _'I can't believe I just said that. Mai's going to kill me when she finds out!'_

"Yuugi-kun . . . who tried to control you? Has someone hurt you? You can tell me. I'll help you."

Yuugi shook his head. "No, Seto-san. It's ok. No one's hurting me. Really. Although I do appreciate the offer."

"Yuugi-"

"Please, Seto-san. It's ok. Really. I'm safe with Mai. She protects me from people who would try to hurt me."

Seto shook his head. "I wasn't talking about Mai. What about your parents?"

He winced and looked down at the floor. _'Please don't ask about them, Seto-san! I can't talk about them! Mai will get so mad! She's going to be so mad at me!'_

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Yuugi-kun, is this what you wanted to tell Yami but you couldn't because you felt you would be betraying Mai?"

Yuugi was at first, confused as to how Seto knew about that, but he figured Yami told him. Slowly, he nodded his head. _'So it's something about his parents. They did something to him and I have to figure out what.' _Seto held Yuugi's chin and guided his head toward himself. Seto stared into Yuugi's eyes to show he felt nothing but respect, friendship, and even admiration for the boy.

"Yuugi-kun, it's all right. You don't have to say anything. I won't be offended. You can come to us when you're ready. And it doesn't matter whom you talk to about it. It can be Yami, Jou, Honda, or me, or any one! Even the councilors at school. They can help you too. But please, tell someone soon. None of us wants to see you in pain. Do you promise to tell someone?"

Yuugi nodded. "If . . . If you promise not to tell Yami about this."

Seto blinked. "But shouldn't he- . . . All right, I promise. He won't hear it from me."

Yuugi smiled and hugged Seto again, just as he had done yesterday. "Thank you, Seto-san. Thank you so much. And I promise I'll tell someone . . . someday."

There was a beeping noise and the two separated. Seto pulled a beeper out of his pocket and rolled his eyes. "Honestly. Does anyone know how to do anything with out me?" Seto put the beeper back and stood up. "I'm sorry, Yuugi-kun, but I have to go. My company needs me."

He nodded. "That's all right. I'll be fine, I promise."

"All right. Well, Mokuba's room is one level up, down the hall and the first door on the right. Think you can remember that?"

Yuugi laughed. "Yes, I think I can mange."

Seto winked and left the room. Once the CEO had exited, Yuugi had curled into a ball, holding his knees to his chest. _'Maybe Seto-san is right. Maybe I should tell someone. But who? Who wouldn't turn away from me if they found out? Who would still be by my side?'_

Yuugi decided not to think about telling someone for now. If he was sad it would upset Mokuba and that wasn't fair for the child. He sighed and got up. He walked up the stairs, remembering Seto's instructions.

_'Ok. He's one level up,' _Yuugi thought as he stood on the top of the stairs. _'. . . But which door was it again?'_

On either side of him, doors surrounded him. But was it the right or the left. He was pretty sure it was the left . . . but maybe it was the right.

"This isn't good. I'm totally lost! How am I supposed to find it?" Taking a deep breath, he took hold of the doorknob of the first door on the left.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you." Yuugi turned around and standing in the entrance of the first door on the right was Mokuba. "That's my brother's room and he hates it when people go in there without him knowing."

Yuugi backed away from the door and jerked his hand away from the doorknob as if he had been burned. "Oh. Of course."

He turned around and smiled a crooked, embarrassed smile. "Um, thanks Mokuba-kun."

He laughed. "Don't worry about it. But Yuugi-kun, could you help me out with my math homework?"

Of course, Yuugi agreed. But as he watched Mokuba try to solve a long division question, he had to stop him. "Mokuba-kun, I think I know why it's hard for you. You keep hunching over it and you're analyzing it way too much. It's like you think there's a deeper meaning to it all. It's just long division." He said. "Sit back and then look at it."

Though he found it strange, Mokuba still went along with it. He gasped. "Ooh! I get it! I have to carry the two first! No wonder I couldn't get it."

"See? You barely even needed my help." Yuugi smiled. "You can easily master this, you just have to look at it from a different perspective."

Mokuba smiled. "Well, I guess I get that from my brother. He always looks for a deeper meaning."

Yuugi nodded. "And there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, you just need to see something from a different view to really understand it."

Once they finished math, Mokuba led Yuugi to a room on the same level. "Where are we going?"

Mokuba mischievously smiled. "You'll see."

They stood in front of a door and Mokuba made Yuugi promise to close his eyes and keep them closed until he said so. Yuugi was a little unsure, but he went along with it. Mokuba isn't a bad person so Yuugi had nothing to worry about. Once Yuugi could open his eyes, he gasped and took a step back from the shock. He was inside the biggest and most expensive looking game room he had ever seen! There were games of all kinds here.

Giant race car games, a basket ball hoop was mounted on a wall, an electric train was running around the perimeter of the room, everything you could imagine was here!

(A/N: imagine, Yuugi's soul room (post battle city with the brick walls), combined with the games of an arcade)

"Mokuba-kun . . . this is amazing! I've never seen so many games before!"

He smiled. "I know. It was my present from Nii-sama last year."

Yuugi turned on his heels toward Mokuba. "This whole room!"

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah."

"What was the present before that!"

The child thought for a minute. "I think it was a manga."

Yuugi felt his jaw hit the floor. How could you go from a simple manga to an entire game room? After gathering a bit of composure, Yuugi and Mokuba sat in giant chairs with steering wheels in front of them and stared at the screen as they raced. It was mostly neck and neck but then Yuugi won it just by a centimeter. After that, they thought it would be fun to just crash into random things, sometimes even each other.

At six o'clock, they had supper. Seto didn't join them this time but they were fine just by themselves. They returned to their games and after a while, Seto came into the room. He smiled when he saw Yuugi and Mokuba lying on their stomachs in front of a board game. "Hey you two. How did it go?"

Yuugi stood up and smiled. "It was great, Seto-san. We had a lot of fun."

Mokuba ran up to his brother and hugged him. "Thank you so much, Nii-sama! I had so much fun!"

"That's good to hear." Seto looked at Yuugi and smiled. "Well, it's time for you to go home now."

Yuugi smiled. "Ok. What time is it?"

"9:00."

He blinked. "Really? Wow I had no idea it was so late."

Seto sheepishly smiled. "Sorry. Mai-san won't be mad will she?"

"No, I don't think she's even home yet."

Seto frowned. "Mokuba, why don't you get ready for bed then you can come say goodbye to Yuugi-kun."

The child agreed and ran off to his room. Seto kneeled down to Yuugi's level and looked directly at him. "Yuugi-kun, how late does Mai-san work?"

"Well since she got the job, she would usually be home around eleven or sometimes midnight."

He frowned again. "Where do you live?"

"Um, we live in an apartment building near an old, broken down mall."

Seto placed his hands on Yuugi's shoulders. "Yuugi-kun . . . that's a very dangerous place to live. You're practically right on the border of the _akasen_."

He blinked. " 'Red-light disctrict'?"

"You have to call Mai-san and tell her you're staying here until she gets home. I'm not letting you stay in such a dangerous place all alone for that long."

Yuugi tilted his head. "But why?"

Seto sighed. "There's a lot of dangerous people there that would hurt you if they got inside and you were alone. Think about it this way. Would you let Mokuba lie on a bed of nails?"

"Never! That's too dangerous! He could get badly injured!"

"Exactly. And that's the same reason why I can't let you stay there alone." Seto said.

Yuugi bit his lip. "Seto-san, I understand what you mean now. But . . . I just don't know if Mai will let me. She doesn't exactly trust you or any one. Especially Yami."

"I know. But if Mai really cared for you she wouldn't put you in danger. I don't think she truly understands how close the two of you are to the _akasen_. So we have to tell her the truth."

Yuugi nodded. "All right. I'll try."

Seto smiled and stood up. "Good. Come with me to my office. We can use the private line in there to call her."

The two entered his large office and Seto handed him a cordless phone. "You know the number?"

"Un."

He held the phone in his hand and dialed the number. He put it to his ear and waited for the other line to pick up as it rang. _"Moshi Moshi. My name is Yuko. How can I help you?"_

"Hi Yuko-san. It's Yuugi. Can I talk to Mai?"

He could tell she was smiling. _"Sure, Yuugi-chan. Just a second."_

The line was quiet while we waited again. Soon he could hear Mai's angry voice in the background. _'Oh no.'_ He thought. _'This isn't going to go very well.'_

_"What is it, Yuugi?"_

He took a deep breath. "Mai . . . Seto-san wants me to stay a little longer here. He says . . . that where we live is too dangerous for me to be alone while I wait for you to get home. So . . . he wants me to stay here until you get home."

_"WHAT!" _Yuugi pulled the phone away from his ear when she screamed. _"HE WANTS YOU TO DO WHAT! LET ME TALK TO HIM RIGHT NOW!"_

Seto took the phone from Yuugi's hand and put it away from his ear just a bit. "Mai, before you start screaming at me, just listen to what I have to say. I'm only looking out for his safety. You live near the _akasen_, you know. Just think about it. Someone sees Yuugi-kun inside your apartment and he's all alone. They could break in and hurt him if he couldn't defend himself. Do you really want that to happen to him?"

She didn't say a word. But he knew she was still there because he could hear Mai breathing. He hoped that his words were sinking in but just incase they weren't, he went on.

"Mai, trust me. I know what it's like to have a younger brother. I worry about Mokuba all the time and I just want him to be safe. But if he were staying in a dangerous place all by himself, I wouldn't let him. I'd find someone – anyone – to look after him if I couldn't.

You can trust me. You know I won't hurt Yuugi-kun and I'll protect him if something were to happen. He's safer here where someone can keep an eye on him. Please, just trust me. I'm not a danger to him in anyway. He's my friend and I would never hurt him. I promise."

He heard Mai sigh angrily. _"I don't know who you think you are, but don't just assume you know how I feel for my brother. But for tonight, he'll stay there until I get off work. And as soon as I do, I'm coming over there and you and I will have a few words, Kaiba, I promise."_

She hung up after that. Seto took a deep breath and put the phone back on the charger. "Well, she agreed. She'll be here after work and talk to me for a minute."

Yuugi bowed his head. "I'm sorry I'm causing you so much trouble, Seto-san. I should just go home."

He started to walk away, but Seto grabbed his hand in a firm grip. "No, Yuugi-kun. I won't let you. You have to stay here where it's safe. Besides, if Yami knew I let anything happen to you on my watch, he'd kill me."

Yuugi felt a tiny blush come to his face. "D-do you think so?"

"Ha! I know so!" Seto smiled. "He's so protective of you. I can tell he's worried about you all the time when you aren't with him. If he knew you stayed at your apartment by yourself for so long, he would go over there himself and stay with you no matter what Mai or anyone else says."

Yuugi's face turned bright red. _'Would he really do that? Yami . . . do you care about me that much?'_

"So do you promise to stay here? If not, I'll have to get my bodyguards to stand at the doors and stop you from leaving. I'll do it, you know."

Yuugi chuckled. "I know you would. So I'll cause you less trouble and stay here willingly."

Seto let out a deep, relieved sigh. "Good. Thank you."

He nodded. "Seto-san? Is it ok if I lay down somewhere for a while? I'm really tired."

"Of course you can. Follow me." Seto led the way to the same floor as Mokuba's room. "Your room won't be much, but it has a clean bed with all the fixings. Mokuba and I have a mansion on the other side of the city, but when I have to work late like this, we usually just stay here. This is more of a residential floor anyway."

Yuugi smiled. "Well, it's ok. I don't need much."

Seto opened a door just four doors down from Mokuba's room. It was a large room that must have been the size of Yuugi's kitchen and living room in his apartment put together. He was used to seeing such large rooms in the Kaiba Corp. headquarters. But it still amazed him.

The room's furnishings were very elegant. There was a canopy bed in the left crook furthest from the door with four wooden posts at each corner. The frame was a beautiful wood that matched the posts. It cradled a soft mattress with dark blue sheets and matching pillows and blankets. There were curtains all around the bed that were the same colour as the sheets.

Over to the left were a lovely beige couch and two large armchairs of the same colour. They surrounded a dark wood coffee table that looked like an antique. The sitting area was situated in front of a large entertainment system including a T.V, a video game consol, and a large stereo. Yuugi stared at the room in awe, never mind amazement. "Seto-san . . . is all this for me?"

He smiled. "Yes, it is. Any time you're tired or need to be alone for a moment while you're here. This is your room and your room alone. Until now it was unoccupied. And if you really need privacy then you might want this."

Seto fished around in his trench coat pocket and pulled out a silver key. "This is the key to this room, Yuugi-kun. It's the key to your room. I'm the only one who has copy of it so no one else can get in. Only me. But I won't invade your privacy whenever I feel like it."

Seto dropped the key into Yuugi's hands. The boy curled his fingers around it and looked up at the CEO. "S-Seto-san . . ."

"Yuugi-kun, what's your size? For clothing I mean."

He blinked. "Why?"

"Well, I figured I should buy you a few things to keep in your room to really make it yours." He said thoughtfully. Yuugi gasped. "What! But . . . Seto-san . . . you can't!"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"Y- . . . I mean . . . this is just too much. You give me my own room in _your_ house. You pay me 3000 yen an hour! Now you want to buy things for me!" Yuugi practically screamed. "I mean, why are you- . . . how can you be so kind?"

Seto smiled. "Would you prefer to be paid nothing, and be forced to sleep on the floor like a dog? Yuugi-kun, I don't treat my employees like that. They're given everything they need. I treat them with respect just as I would anyone. Just because they're below me in employment status, doesn't mean I'm superior to them outside of this building."

Yuugi felt his eyes stinging with tears. "Seto-san . . . that's the nicest thing I've ever heard anyone say."

"I doubt that."

"No it really is." Tears started to fall down his face. "You've got to be the nicest, most kindest person I've ever met. It's almost too good to be true. How can I ever repay you?"

Seto laughed. "Yuugi-kun, please. I don't need anything from you. You work for me! What more do you want to give me?"

"Anything. I'll do anything to please you."

Seto blinked. _'Please me?'_

"You've done so much for me. I can't take all of that without giving something to you, too."

He shook his head. "No, Yuugi-kun. I don't want anything from you."

Yuugi started to sob and embraced Seto. "Please Seto-san! I can't take all this from you! It's just too much!"

He frowned. "Yuugi-kun, calm down. You don't have to get so worked up about it. It's nothing."

"That's not true! It's everything!" He shouted into the CEO's stomach. "You're giving me all this and you don't want anything in return! I don't understand! Why are you doing this? Why are you being so nice!"

Seto went down on one knee and held Yuugi by his shoulders. When the boy stared down at the floor as he continued to cry, he lifted Yuugi's head and looked in his eyes. "Yuugi-kun . . . I'm being so nice because you are my friend. I want to help you in any way I can. That's what friends are supposed to do."

He sniffed. "But . . . you're spending so much money . . . just for me!"

Seto smiled. "I know. But it's ok. I don't mind. And it's not all that much money anyway. I told you before my company makes a lot of money in just ten minutes. There's nothing you need to worry about. I promise you're not being an inconvenience."

Yuugi embraced Seto again. This time with his arms around the CEO's neck. "Thank you so much, Seto-san." He hiccupped. "Thank you."

He smiled and rubbed the boy's back. "It's no trouble, Yuugi-kun. Remember that. You are _not_ a burden to me or anyone else."

Seto waited for Yuugi to calm down before he carried the short teenager to his new bed. He tucked Yuugi in and wished him goodnight. Yuugi, however, didn't answer for he had fallen asleep.

Seto sighed deeply after he closed the door. He walked silently to his office once more and sat behind his large desk. _'I can't believe it. Why was he so devastated and confused just now? I've got to call Yami.'_

He grabbed the phone and pressed speed dial two. A few rings later and the line picked up.

_"Moshi Moshi. Atemu residence."_

"Good evening, Atemu-san."

_"Oh well, hello Seto-san. It's good to hear from you." _Hiroko's voice rang happily through the line. _"I'll go get Yami-chan for you."_

Seto chuckled. He always thought it was hilarious that Hiroko would call her son Yami-chan.

_"Hey Kaiba. What's up?"_

He sighed. "You won't believe what just happened with Yuugi."

XxX

It was midnight when Mai finally arrived to Kaiba Corp. headquarters. She was fuming mad and glared the instant her eyes met Seto's.

"You bastard!" She grabbed his collar and pulled him up close. "Who do you think you are! How dare you try and tell me how to take care of my little brother!"

Seto pulled Mai's hands off himself and stood back. "First of all, I wasn't trying to tell you how to-"

"Yes you were! 'Oh Mai! It's too dangerous for Yuugi to be there all by his lonesome!'" She said in a mocking baby voice. "Don't you think I know that! I know it's too dangerous! I know exactly where we live!"

Seto stood still. He didn't want Mai to know that he was actually surprised that she knew this. Not many people know where the _akasen_ is. Or at least, they don't realize it.

"And I _am_ afraid! I'm afraid for Yuugi every night! I can't be there to protect him and it scares me." Her voice had quieted down a bit now. She looked away from Seto as if she were ashamed. "I want to always be with him. He's all I have left and I can't loose him. Kaiba, believe me. If I could, I would be with him every minute I had and watch over him. But I can't! I have to work late so I can pay the bills and buy food."

She looked up at him again and glared. "You know nothing of how I feel for him! You're not poor and living in a broken down apartment. You're not almost starving every day and freezing every night. You know nothing of our life and you never will!"

Yuugi suddenly entered the room and was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Mai? What's going on, Seto-san?"

Mai briskly walked up to Yuugi and grabbed his arm, pulling him over to the door. She pushed him down so he was sitting and shoved his shoes onto his feet. She stood up, forcing Yuugi to stand with her to slip on her own shoes. Her grip on his arm was very tight.

"Ow! Mai, please. That hurts."

She fiercely glared at Yuugi to shut him up, then to Seto. "From now on, you will never talk to or go near Yuugi ever again! Unless it's about his job, you can't even look at him! Just stay away from us. And that goes for Atemu and the others as well!"

Yuugi pulled on her jacket. "Mai, please don't! That's not fair! They're my friends!"

"No they aren't! And if I ever catch you near them I swear you won't be able to walk for a month!"

Yuugi gasped and stepped away from her. He wrenched his arm away and ran to Seto, holding him around his waist. "Please, Seto-san. Don't let her hurt me." He whispered fearfully.

Seto put a hand on his head. "It's ok, Yuugi-kun. Go with her. You'll be fine."

He answered in a tone just as quiet as his. But he made sure his voice was comforting but firm. Mai growled and roughly pulled Yuugi towards herself. "Stay away from us! All of you!"

She dragged Yuugi out the door and slammed it behind her. Seto sighed. _'Mai, you better not hurt Yuugi. Yami will kill me if you do. I just hope you're the person I think you are. If not . . .'_

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Masami: CUT! That's a wrap!

Yuugi: Phew! That was quite a chapter!

Seto: (is still angry) stupid writer. Stupid director.

Damion: (eye twitch) (leaves to editing room)

Masami: now, all of you get off my set!

_I love how in my head, Mokuba sounds like Eric Cartmen from South Park when he whines. (don't own it)_

_(1) Twenty-five dollars American_


	7. First Date

Masami: Welcome back everyone! Now that the Fringe Fest is over, we can really get cracking on this thing! I wanna get scene VII done today!

Damion: (sets up the camera)

Yami: This is one scene I'll actually enjoy doing!

Yuugi: Why's th- . . . oh I know why . . . (blush)

Yami: n.n

Masami: ok! Places everyone! Roll Camera and ACTION!

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_Friday_

Yuugi's body was stiff as he sat in his desk, waiting for the day to begin. He and Mai got to school earlier today and Yuugi realized that was a mistake that could cost him quiet a bit.

There were only a few students in Morita-san's history class at the moment. Most of them he didn't know but there was someone he knew. Ushio. He sat in the back right corner of class. Yuugi remembered seeing Ushio sitting with the boys from the library that were picking on him and Yami. He prayed that they wouldn't touch him today, but it didn't seem too likely.

No one was around. Not Yami, not Seto, not Jou, not anyone! This would be a perfect chance to come at Yuugi since none of his friends were around to protect him. Suddenly, there was a large hand on his back. Yuugi looked over his shoulder and flinched. Ushio was standing over him menacingly with a grin on his face. "Hey Yuugi. How you doin'?"

But he didn't answer. The two boys had surrounded him so there was no way to escape. He was trapped. "Anyway, my boys here told me what happened at the library last week."

Yuugi gasped. _'Oh no . . . what's he going to do!'_

"And I gotta tell you . . . I can't stand faggots like you and Atemu." He grabbed a fistful of Yuugi's hair and slammed the side of the boy's face down onto his desk. "It's too bad that there's so many witnesses around. I can't touch you. But after school, I'd be watching my back if I were you."

He released the boy and Ushio and his friends left. Yuugi looked out the window. The Sakura tree's blossoms were in full bloom now and its beauty seemed to relax his tense body.

Thankfully, Morita-san came in followed by Yami, Jou and Honda. Though they had bad timing, Yuugi was glad they were here. Yami saw Yuugi and smiled . . . but it turned into a frown. Deep inside Yuugi's bright amethyst eyes, he could see fear. Out of the corner of his eye, he also saw Ushio smirking. _'Damn it. What did he do!'_

Yami ran to Yuugi's side. "Are you all right, Yuugi? What did that bastard do to you?"

He smiled. "It's ok, Yami. I'm fine."

"Atemu-san, please take your seat."

Reluctantly, Yami sat down behind Yuugi and sighed. Morita-san started the lesson. Jou sent a folded piece of paper onto Yami's desk and the teen read what was inside.

_"Hey. What's wrong with Yuugi?"_

He sent the paper back with his answer. _"Ushio did something to him but I don't know what. Yuugi said he was fine but I know he's not. I could see he's afraid."_

Jou gave the paper to Honda so he could read it. Yami saw he was writing an answer then sent the note to Jou. He wrote something down and Yami got the paper back.

_"That ass hole! I can't believe him sometimes!" _Was Honda's reply.

_"I don't think Yuugi should be alone today, Yami. If Ushio's going after him, we can't give him any opportunities."_

Yami nodded and they started to pay attention to Morita-san's lesson. After the bell rang, Yami gathered his stuff and stood up. But he noticed Yuugi was still sitting down. "Yuugi, class is over. Come on. We don't want to be late."

He shook his head. "Mai said I have to wait for her."

Yami blinked. "Well then I'll wait for her with you."

"No. You have to go."

He frowned. "Yuugi, is it Ushio? Did he say something to you?"

Yuugi shook his head. "It's Mai. She said I can't be with any of you any more. You'll get in trouble if she sees you with me. I don't want you to be hurt."

"But what about you? She wouldn't get mad at you?"

He sighed. "Please Yami just leave. Mai yelled at me enough last night. I don't need anymore grief today."

Yami stared. He sighed and turned around. "All right. If that's what you want. I don't want to get you in trouble."

Jou blinked. _'What's going on? Did Yami and Yuugi just fight?'_

He and Yami talked about what happened in the hall so Yuugi wouldn't hear them. "What's with him? He's never turned you away before."

Yami nodded. "I know. But it's not by choice. He said Mai yelled at him a lot last night. He'll get in trouble again if Mai sees him with us."

"Damn! What's the matter with that girl? We're not going to hurt Yuugi and we're not dangerous."

Yami shook his head. "It's not that. She doesn't trust us. I don't know why but she just refuses to even get to know us." Jou agreed. But maybe they could do something to change all that.

XxX

Yami and Yuugi were cleaning the halls at the end of the day. And Yuugi was terrified. He was dropping everything and shaking constantly. Finally, Yami had finally had enough. He dragged Yuugi over to the bench and sat him down. "Yuugi, please tell me what Ushio did to you this morning."

The boy bowed his head. "Nothing."

Yami pulled his face up and stared into his eyes. "Please Yuugi. Tell me. I can help you. If you're scared of being alone I'll walk home with you today if I have to. I just want to protect you."

"But you can't. Mai wouldn't let you."

"Yuugi . . ." Yami gently caressed his cheek. "Do _you_ want me to? Do you want me to be with you? Forget Mai for a second. Do you want to be with me?"

He smiled. "Yes. I don't want you to leave. You mean so much to me. And so does everyone else. You're the first friends I've ever had and I don't want to lose you. I don't care what Mai says. You _are_ trustworthy. And I know you would never hurt me." Tears of joy slipped out of his eyes but Yuugi didn't care. He embraced Yami and smiled. "Please promise you'll never leave me, Yami. I care about you so much."

He smoothed back Yuugi's hair. "You don't have to worry. I would never ever leave you no matter what anyone said. I don't care what people think. I'll always be by your side."

They stayed in each other's arms for a moment before returning to cleaning. There wasn't much left to do so Yami decided now to ask him. "Yuugi? Are you doing anything tonight?"

He paused to think about it for a moment. "Um . . . no. I don't have anything planned. Why?"

Yami took a deep breath. "Well, I was wondering if you would like to do something tonight."

"L-like what?"

He casually shrugged. "Anything really. Get a drink; maybe go to the arcade or something. Then get something to eat."

Yuugi's face turned to the shade of a tomato. _'I don't believe it! Yami's asking me out! I can't believe this is really happening!'_

Yami saw Yuugi blushing. _'Oh he wants to go. I can tell. Now let's have a little fun with this.' _ He grinned. "Yuugi? Are you all right?"

He shakily nodded. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. W-why?"

"Well, I've noticed your face turned red a lot."

Yuugi squeaked. _'It turns red a lot! Oh no! I'm blushing! Oh no!'_

"N-no . . . I'm fine! Really!"

Yami chuckled. "Ok, if you say so." He paused. "So . . . would you like to do something with me tonight?"

Yuugi took a deep breath to keep himself calm. "Yes. I'd love to."

The teen smiled, but it quickly fell into a frown. "What about Mai? Would she let you go out with me?"

"I doubt it . . . but you know what?" Yuugi smiled. "I don't care. I . . . I like you a lot, Yami. And I don't care about what Mai thinks of us being together. I just want to be with you."

Yami smiled. He wrapped one of his arms around Yuug's waist and gently cradled the back of the boy's head with his other hand. "I want to be with you too. Yuugi, I don't care what anyone thinks either. And no matter what Mai says I'll stay with you."

Yuugi wrapped his arms around Yami's waist and sighed. "I'm glad."

Yami sighed. He heard his watch beep and looked at it. "Oh right." He pulled back and held both of Yuugi's hands. "Yuugi, I'm sorry but I have to get home. I promised Kaasan I'd help her paint the bathroom tonight. I won't be too long since we have a really small bathroom and most of our walls are covered with these tacky bathroom paintings Kaasan likes. ( 1 ) When should I pick you up?"

Yuugi thought for a moment. "I'd say around 5:30. That's when Mai has to go to work so it'll be safe."

He nodded. "Right. Will you and Mai be all right getting home? I mean . . . Ushio . . ."

Yuugi smiled. "It's ok Yami. I promise we'll be fine."

"All right." Together, Yami and Yuugi gathered their cleaning supplies and put them away. "Well, I'm off. I'll see you at 5:30 . . . anata."

Yuugi blushed and nodded. When Yami disappeared as he turned the corner, Yuugi leaned his back against the wall and sighed. He put his hands over his heart and giggled. _'I can't believe it! Yami asked me out! This is so amazing! I never thought he liked me that way!' _He sighed again. "I can't wait for tonight."

"And why's that?"

Yuugi gasped when he heard a voice. He stood up straight and held his breath. Mai stood there with her hands on her hips and a suspicious look on her face. He gulped. "W-well . . . I thought of a . . . good idea . . . for a story to write! It's for a history project Morita-san assigned to us."

"He never told me about it, Yuugi."

The boy's body froze. "Well . . . he's not exactly sure about- . . . if he's going to assign it or not."

Mai didn't believe him but was not in the mood for an argument or an interrogation. She simply rolled her eyes and together they left the school. Yuugi was a little paranoid as they walked home that day. Ushio had threatened to come after him when he was walking home. But they were all ready half way home and nothing had happened! Could it have been a warning for the future?

In a way he hoped so. Yuugi didn't want anything to keep him from going out with Yami tonight. This night was the most important night of his life and nothing would ruin it or keep him from it.

XxX

Yami smiled. _'I can't believe Yuugi said yes! He really said yes!'_

"So, this is going to be our first date! I have to think of the most perfect night!"

He thought about it for ten minutes and nothing came to mind. That's when a solution to his mental block walked into his room. "Yami-chan! Dinner time!"

Yami sat up and smiled. "Kaasan, I need your help."

"With what?" She sat beside him.

He sighed. "Well . . . I wanted to come up with something on my own . . . but you know me. Anyway, I was wondering. Well . . . I'm taking Yuugi out tonight and I can't think of what to do. It's our very first date and I want it to be absolutely unforgettable."

Hiroko smiled. "Is this Yuugi the boy you've been pining for and doting upon for the last little while?"

Yami blushed a little. "Yeah . . . you could say that."

"Well then! No wonder you're having such a hard time." Hiroko grinned. "Now then, what does he like? What are his interests?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I mean . . . I _know_ . . . I just . . . don't know."

Hiroko blinked. "What?"

"Never mind. Originally, I told him we might go get a drink. Then we would go to the arcade and get something to eat after that. But . . . it just doesn't seem special enough."

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yami-chan, what are you talking about? I think that sounds wonderful. On a first date, it's a good idea to go to an arcade or something. It breaks the ice and makes you more comfortable if you're both doing something you'd enjoy."

He nodded. "Ok. But . . . I really wanted this night to be special and . . . just . . . amazing you know? I want him to have the time of his life so he'll never forget it."

"Yami-chan, this is going to sound really corny-"

He sighed. "Kaasan? Everything you say is corny!"

After rolling her eyes, Hiroko continued. "But as long as the two of you are together, he'll never forget any moment. He'll think how wonderful it is just to be with you. Just go with your original plan, Yami-chan. It'll be fine."

Hiroko left the room to allow Yami some time to think. _'Maybe Kaasan is right. Yuugi and I always enjoy each other's company no matter what we're doing. So it won't make any difference where we go!' _With renewed confidence, Yami stood up to get himself ready.

XxX

Yuugi couldn't believe it! They made it home without any trouble at all! And he couldn't have been happier. Now there was nothing that would keep him back from going out with Yami. Yuugi couldn't stop grinning. This was going to be his first real date! . . . right?

"Ok, Yuugi. I have to get to work." Mai said as she slipped on her shoes. "Remember, stay inside, don't answer the door unless it's me, and do your homework. I want it done before I get back all right?"

He nodded. "Ok! Bai bai Mai!"

She chuckled and closed the door behind her. Yuugi giggled. "Any minute now and Yami will be here! I should get ready!"

The boy ran to his and Mai's room to look through the few clothes he had. There were about seven different outfits. One was a white shirt with three thick green horizontal stripes and brown shorts. Another was a blue shirt with black sweat pants. Another was a- Oh who cared? All of his clothes were ugly! He only got these because no one else at the orphanage wanted them! So what was he going to do?

Yuugi grabbed all of his clothes and threw them out of the small trunk that held them. They were strewn across the floor so he could stare at them and decide what to wear.

"No." He said pointing to one outfit. "No, no, no, no! AH!" He groaned. "Nothing is good enough for Yami! So am I stuck wearing our school uniform? How is _this_ a date worthy outfit!"

But it didn't matter now. He heard the doorbell ring and spark out after words. "Well, the doorbell has to be fixed."

Yuugi stood up and walked over to the door. He took a deep breath before opening it with a smile on his face. "Hi Yami."

The teen smiled. "Hi. Are you ready?"

His smile fell of his face. "More or less. I'm sorry I'm still wearing our uniform. I should have gotten dressed like you, but this is all I really have."

Yami smiled. "It's ok. I don't need you to look special just for me. You just have to be you."

Yuugi smiled as well and admired Yami's outfit. He wore a tight fitting red tank top that was the same hue of his eyes. There was a golden wristband on his right arm to match the golden chains that hung on his black, baggy, cargo pants. The thread that held his pants together was a bright blue hue that made the stitch work really visible. Yuugi thought he looked absolutely stunning.

Yami was always told red, blue and black look really good on him. He wanted to look his best for the date but now he felt bad. Yuugi only had his school uniform to wear and here he was, looking all gorgeous and hot! How fair was that? But he didn't want his guilt to show through. Yuugi would feel bad for making him feel bad and he didn't want his love to be sad on their first date. Yuugi took a deep breath. "Let's go."

He grabbed a key off the wall and locked the door. Then with out warning, and when Yuugi's back was still turned to him, Yami grabbed Yuugi's other hand and knotted their fingers just as he did before.

Yuugi blushed and smiled up at him. As they walked down the stairs, hand in hand, Yuugi asked where they were going. "Well, first I was thinking of getting something warm to drink. Then we could go somewhere of your choice and after that we'd get something to eat also of your choice."

He blinked. "Why is it all my choice? Why not you?"

Yami stopped at the base of the stairs and cupped Yuugi's cheek. "Because I want this night to be perfect. You know what you like more then I do so you have to choose. I know you can't choose something bad so I have nothing to worry about."

Yuugi smiled and leaned into Yami's hand slightly. "Are you sure you can trust me?"

"Oh I think I can. I know you'll be very gentle."

The boy hadn't expected an answer like that. He blushed and hid his face in Yami's palm. "Yami . . . stop it." He affectionately protested.

The two then left the building and walked down the sidewalk. Yami quickened his pace to get out of the area quickly. He didn't want to be in such a dangerous place as this. "Yami, are you ok?"

He smiled. "Of course. I'm fine. Why?"

"I don't know. You just seem . . . distracted."

Yami shook his head. "Not at all. I only care about you right now."

Yuugi blushed. "Yami!" He wined.

The teen winked. When they were a safe distance from Yuugi's apartment, Yami loosened up. He took Yuugi to the same coffee house he and Seto always go to.

Yami ordered his usual cappuccino with whip cream. Yuugi asked for simply a hot chocolate but with extra whip cream. They sat and drank while talking about anything that came to mind. They laughed at jokes or even things that weren't funny and made no sense at all. But they were having the time of their life.

After they were finished in the coffee shop, they decided to walk around for a bit. Yuugi held Yami's arms as their feet led them to the park. It seemed so romantic; the setting sun in front of them, the silent chirping of birds around them and the private solitude of a lonely park just for them.

They sat down on a wooden bench for a while and watched the sun set beyond the horizon. Yuugi was resting his head against Yami's shoulder while Yami's arms held him close.

"Yuugi?"

"Hm?"

He paused. "You're not . . . afraid are you?"

Yuugi looked up at him. "What?"

"I know this is foolish . . . but I need to know." He solemnly said. "If this park was crowded with people . . . would you still be like this with me?"

Yuugi paused. _'Oh I see. He means if people saw us would I still want to be close to him like this.'_

He smiled. "Yami, I told you before. I don't care what people think. I'm not afraid if people see us. I just want to be with you. They don't understand how we feel for each other and it makes them uncertain and scared. But it doesn't matter. You're all that matters to me."

Yami smiled. "And you're all that matters to me, kuuki."

Yuugi giggled and snuggled up against Yami. After a while, they walked to a restaurant. Yami had to choose where to go even though he said he wanted Yuugi to. But since Yuugi had lived in Nagano all his life, he had no idea what Domino City had to offer.

Yami chose a nice, simple and clean eatery with excellent food. He and Yuugi both ordered a hamburger with fries and a chocolate shake. Yami felt more at ease knowing Yuugi didn't care that people would see them together. That was his biggest fear of this night. Yami himself didn't care who saw them, but he didn't know if Yuugi did.

Now that that was cleared up, he could relax and do anything he wanted. Well . . . within reason. After they finished the meal, Yami paid for it. Yuugi held Yami's arm again as they made their way back to Yuugi's apartment. After a moment of silence, the shorter said, "I'm sorry, Yami. I shouldn't make you pay for everything."

He chuckled. "Don't feel bad. I don't mind it at all. It's no big deal, Yuugi. Honest."

Yuugi smiled. "Yami, you're spoiling me."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." This wasn't spoken with any amount of sarcasm in his voice. Yami really didn't think he was spoiling Yuugi. He just thought they were on a date. Yuugi chortled and shook his head. _'I'll repay you someday Yami. I promise.'_

Soon Yuugi's apartment building came into view. And before it was too late, Yuugi had to ask Yami the question that was burning in his mind all night.

"Yami? Is this . . . I mean, what just happened . . . was this a date?" He asked curiously.

Yami shrugged. "Do you want it to be?"

He hid a blush in the taller's bicep. Yuugi turned his head forward but kept his cheek resting on Yami's arm. "Maybe."

Yami smiled. "Then maybe it is."

"Well . . . Maybe we can do it again sometime."

They stood in front of the building and held both of their hands as they stood in front of each other. Yami smiled. "Maybe. You never know. But then again, maybe it'll be Tuesday after school."

"Well . . . Maybe I'll just have to say yes."

He chuckled. "Well . . . maybe tonight . . ."

Yami slowly leaned in and pulled Yuugi close to him. They slowly closed their eyes and were about to share their first kiss when someone suddenly stumbled out of the alley just behind Yuugi. Yami pushed Yuugi out of the way and was ready to defend, but someone else jumped out of the alley on top of the man that fell.

The two of them started fighting and Yami heard one of them shouting about how much money the other owed them. He grabbed Yuugi's hand and pulled him inside, slamming the door after himself. Yami sighed. "That was close. Are you all right, Yuugi? Are you hurt?"

He smiled. "No I'm just fine."

"Good." He smiled. " By the way, there's something I wanted to give you." Yami fished in his pocked and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to Yuugi and the boy looked at it. "What's this?"

He smiled. "It's my phone number. If you ever need me, no matter the time, day, or place, I'll be there for you. Well, good night Yuugi. I'll see you on Monday."

Yuugi nodded and watched as Yami left. _'Bye Yami. And thank you . . . for being different.'_

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Masami: CUT! Thank you all! We're done for today!

Yami and Yuugi: (goes home)

Damion: (leaves for editing room)

Masami: Geh. (goes home)

( 1 ): I was kind of thinking of those Precious Moments (Don't own it) pictures. I saw this bathroom once and the walls were like covered in them. Lol. It was sooooo tacky! x.x plus I can't stand art work in bathrooms. You're not there to admire the art work you're there to……..well, you know. You've been there before. n.n


	8. Hana

Masami: n.n yay! I'm excited for this chapter!

Yami: . . . What exactly happens to Yuugi-chan this time? Something bad?

Masami: Ha, no not quiet. It's because a certain slow song is in this story and it's one of my favorites from Orange Range (I don't own Orange Range)

Damion: -.- Well?

Masami: RIGHT! PLACES!

(everyone gets into their places)

Tahna: n.n yay!

Masami: n.n ROLL CAMERA! ACTION!...Oh, LIGHTS!

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Duel Eight: Hana

_Monday_

Yami couldn't stop smiling all day. Only a few days ago he and Yuugi had gone out on their first date together. Even though they didn't do much, it was the time of his life. Occasionally, they would look at each other out of the corner of their eyes. They quietly giggled and looked away. Jou chuckled and shook his head.

At the end of class, Yuugi lost his smile. Yami noticed immediately and asked him what was wrong. "Yami . . . I have to wait for Mai remember? I . . . I can't talk to you for the rest of the day. Not until clean up at least."

He smiled. "I know. But don't worry, Yuugi. Everything will be all right. I know it's hard right now, but it won't always be like this. Mai can't separate us forever."

Yuugi smiled. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I promise it'll all work out. Someday, Mai will step aside and let us be together with her knowledge. Keeping a relationship as a secret won't be easy. But I promise I'll always be there for you."

Yuugi nodded and watched as Yami left. As he approached the exit, Mai entered the room and walked right passed him. Neither Mai nor Yami even spared a pacing glance at the other. Yami quietly sighed. He was glad she didn't see them talking. Yuugi would be in so much trouble. More then Yami at least, after all, Yuugi has to live with her.

XxX

At lunch, Mai received an unpleasant surprise.

"What do you want, Kaiba?" She ruthlessly spat.

His face was kind and caring but Mai didn't even notice. He only wanted to be friendly but she didn't. Seeing that she wouldn't be a friend to him, he dropped his attempts all together. "I wanted to ask if Yuugi could baby sit Mokuba tonight. I have a lot of work to do and-"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested in your life story, Kaiba. Just tell me what time ok?"

He sighed. "After school again. But could I talk to Yuugi alone for a second?"

"Why? What's it about? What do you want with him?" Mai stood in front of Yuugi as if shielding him from an attack. Yuugi stepped out from behind her and walked away. He grabbed Seto's wrist and pulled him away.

He heard Mai protesting but she didn't chase after them or try to stop them. Yuugi was a little worried though. He knew Mai was going to be really mad at him once he returned to her.

And ever since she held him back once everyone left . . . and the threat she gave him after work at Seto's . . . They turned a corner and were out of earshot. Yuugi sighed. "Sorry about her."

Seto smiled. "It's ok. I'm very impressed, Yuugi. You didn't even listen to her. You went with what you wanted to do."

He forcefully laughed. "Yeah. So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you something. Jou and I will be celebrating our two-year anniversary soon. We're going out to supper and we decided to celebrate with our friends. I know that Honda and Yami will be coming and I knew I should invite you too."

Yuugi blinked. "Me? But why?"

Seto smiled and exhaled sharply out of his nose. "Well, maybe it's because you're our friend too. And I would really love it if you joined us. How 'bout it?"

"Well . . . when is it?"

"Next week on Monday. Is that ok? Can you make it?"

Yuugi thought about it. "I think so. I mean, as long as Mai is working then sure I can go."

Seto smiled. "Good. I was really hoping you could come. I'll tell the others. I just wish you could join us for lunch. Yami's dying to see you again."

He giggled. "Well, tell Yami he'll just have to wait. And also tell him when we're cleaning, I'll have something special to give him."

Seto nodded. He said goodbye and left. Yuugi took an unsteady breath. He was a little worried of how Mai would react. But he (in a sense) puffed out his chest and was ready to take the blow.

Strangely, Mai didn't even notice he had sat beside her. They finished their lunch and sat in silence. Mai hadn't looked at Yuugi or said a word. Soon the silence was too much for him. "Mai? Are-"

"I'm not impressed with you, Yuugi." She sternly interrupted. "You disobeyed me and didn't even stop once when I told you to come back. When we get home, I'll make sure you listen to me from now on."

He gasped. "M-Mai . . . what do you mean?"

She glared at him out of the corner of her eyes. "You know what I mean. I mean that I'm all you have. Atemu and the others are just trying to use you. You don't need them any more then you need lice."

"Mai, stop it!" Yuugi shouted. "That's not fair! You don't understand! You haven't even given them a chance to prove their worth! Yami and the others aren't dangerous! They protect me! They care about me! And they would be our friends if you would just-"

She grabbed Yuugi's arms and pushed him up against the wall. "Shut up! You listen to me, Yuugi. I'm the only one you have. Atemu and the others are just trying to tear us apart. They'll use you and throw you out because that's all you're good for. Now I don't want to hear another word about this! You _will_ listen to me and you will _never_ see them again!"

XxX

Yami gasped. "Mai said that?"

Yuugi slowly nodded. "She's really scaring me. Her eyes . . . they were filled with . . . anger. Betrayal. Maybe even hate."

Yami lifted Yuugi's head and smiled at him. "Mai doesn't hate you, Yuugi. She just doesn't understand."

"But . . . she's acting just like . . ." He sighed. "Like she's going to hurt me."

He shook his head. "No she won't. I promise, Yuugi. Mai isn't going to hurt you. But if she does, then you come to one of us. Kaiba, Jou, me, anyone. Just don't stay with here if she will hurt you."

Yuugi sniffed. "But I don't understand. How will that make anything better?"

"It might anger her even more. But being separated from you might also give her a chance to see what she's done. Trust me, Yuugi. I know it's odd, but I also know that your safety is very, very important to me." Yami held his cheek, gently stroking it with his thumb.

Yuugi nodded. "I know. Thank you Yami."

They embraced and stayed in each other's arms for as long as possible. All the while, Yami stayed very alert. He made sure no one was watching them or coming down the halls. Finally, when they separated, Yuugi smiled. "Yami, you mean so much to me. You've given me more strength then I've ever had in my entire life. I feel like I'm not afraid to face my problems any more."

"I'm glad, Yuugi." He held the boy's cheek before they stood up, putting their cleaning supplies away. Yami winked. "I'll see you tomorrow, Yuugi."

The teen turned around and was about to walk away when he heard Yuugi call out his name. Yuugi stood by his side and held Yami's hand. Then without warning, he lifted himself up on his tiptoes and kissed Yami on the cheek. Yami blushed ever so lightly. "Yuugi?"

"I'll see you tomorrow."

The boy turned and left the hall leaving Yami in shock. It was the first time Yuugi had kissed him. So what if it wasn't on the lips? A kiss is a kiss. But it's more then a kiss when it's with Yuugi.

XxX

Seto smiled. "Well, you tend to bring out the courage in people, Yami. It's no wonder he's being so much braver and out there."

_"I know."_ Yami said. _"It's still so . . . odd. You know? I've only known him for a short while but he's changed so much. He went from a shy, withdrawn, scared boy to . . . to this strong, brave, unreserved teen."_

The CEO nodded, but realized Yami couldn't see him through the phone. "I know. It's pretty amazing." There was a knock on his office door. "Seto-san? May I come in?"

"Sorry, Yami. I have to go. Yuugi's at the door."

_"All right. Tell him I said hi."_ Yami hung up after that.

Seto put down his cell phone and told Yuugi to come in. The short teen entered with a smile on his face. "Mokuba's asleep now. He's done all his homework and he even helped me clean up his game room."

"Well, that's unusually kind of him." Seto observed. "He must want something from me tomorrow."

Yuugi giggled. "Don't be so mean."

Seto chuckled. He left a crooked smile on his face after he finished. "You know, Yuugi, you're not a butler. When I said you could come in, I meant _in._ You don't have to stay in the entrance like that."

Yuugi blushed faintly. He slowly approached Seto's desk but was still unsure. "It's ok. You can sit down." The CEO stood and sat on the couch with Yuugi. "So is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Yuugi nodded. "Well . . . not really. I mean, it's not really important. But . . . it's just something on my mind."

"All right. What is it?"

For a while, Yuugi was silent. _'Just tell him! Seto-san I don't want to go home. I'm kind of afraid of Mai. I want to stay here! Just say it!' _But the words wouldn't come out. He stood up and plastered a smile on his face. "You know what? It's not important at all. Sorry if I disturbed you."

Yuugi turned to leave, but he felt something grab his hand. He was suddenly pulled back down to the couch. "No. You're not leaving until you tell me what's on your mind." Seto said in a calm voice. "Something's bothering you-"

"Really, Seto-san. It's ok. Please."

Seto blinked. _'Why is Yuugi so defensive all of a sudden? Does he really not want to talk about it?' _He decided to let the boy go. As an excuse, he told Yuugi he looked tired and suggested he get some sleep. Once Yuugi had left, Seto whipped out his cell phone and pressed speed dial two. Three rings and the answering machine picked up.

_"Moshi moshi. We're not at home right now. Please leave a message after the-." BEEP!_

Setp growled. "Damn it, Yami! Pick up! I need to talk to you, you bastard! Yami, you ass hole pick-"

_"What did you say about my son?"_

He gasped, not expecting anyone to pick up. "Oh! Atemu-san. Uh . . . sorry. I . . . just tell him I called."

Seto quickly hung up. He sighed. "That was close."

He knew better then to mess with Yami's father, Kaneda. It was not wise to insult his son in front of him. Kaneda always had his families' well fare in mind and wouldn't let anyone hurt them. No matter who it was.

_'It's odd. Yami has wonderful, loving parents, while Yuugi hasn't even mentioned his before. He and Mai are stepsiblings, but . . . that couldn't be all they have. Then again, since he lives near akasen, perhaps that's all they do have.'_

He sighed. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. Seto got up and made his way to Yuugi's room. He quietly knocked on the door. "Yuugi? Can I come in?"

There was no response. He tried the doorknob and found it opened easily. He was sure the boy had locked it. Seto hesitated. _'Maybe I shouldn't. If he's asleep or-'_

"Seto-san?" He jumped a bit from the unexpected voice behind him. "What are you doing?"

Seto turned around and smiled. "I was just looking for you."

"Why? I mean . . . well, what's up?"

He pulled the boy into his room and they sat down on Yuugi's bed. "Well, I was thinking this weekend, we could go out and buy things to fill your room. If you're not busy."

Yuugi sighed dejectedly. "Seto-san, I'm still not sure about that."

"Why not? I told you before, it's no problem."

The boy stared at the ground. "It's not that. Seto-san . . . I'm sorry if I offend you when I say this, but there's something you have to understand." He played with the hem of his school shirt, a nervous habit he had developed. "I'm . . . not really used to this much attention and . . . well, for lack of a better term, being taken care of so well." Seto frowned. He was seriously worried about this boy. "It . . . makes me uncomfortable. I feel . . . like you're obligated to do this for me."

Seto laughed. "No offence taken, and no offence to you, Yuugi. But so far, I have no obligations to you. This is something I _chose_ to do for you. This isn't some kind of charity and it's not because I feel sorry for you. I want to do this. It's my idea of my own free will, I swear."

Yuugi sighed. He didn't want to fight anymore, so he simply gave up. After a time and day for the shopping spree was established, Seto wished Yuugi goodnight. He figured his employee could get in a few minutes of sleep before Mai came.

XxX

Mai solemnly walked inside. She and Seto never made eye contact nor did they say a word. She took hold of Yuugi's hand as if he were a small child and pulled him towards the door. Seto casually leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, eyes down, and a foot pressed against the wall with his back. It was informal, but he still had an almost regal stature to him.

The tension between the two, Seto and Mai, was thick. Yuugi looked cautiously at both of them, expecting someone to snap. He slipped on his shoes and seriously debated whether he should say goodbye to Seto now or not. He wanted to thank the CEO but he just didn't think it would be right to speak right now.

He looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see Seto looking at him with a smile on his face. The taller waved farewell to Yuugi once, before crossing his arms once more. Yuugi turned around completely and excitedly waved to him before leaving the building with Mai.

Yuugi just wouldn't lose the smile on his face. He had never truly felt what it was like to have money in his pocket that came from an honest day's work. It felt like there was a weight in his pants that slowed him down.

"What are you so happy about Yuugi?"

He looked up at his stepsister and grinned. He looked forward again with out saying a single word. Mai blinked. But seeing the grin on his face was enough to make her giggle. _'Yuugi always manages to make even the smallest of things the highlight of my day.'_

XxX

_Still Saturday_

_"You sure that's him, boss?" _Ushio asked.

A smirk spread across a man's dry, rough lips. He stared at the photograph hungrily. "Oh yeah. That's him all right. But who's the kid in the picture with him?"

"_If you mean the one hugging Yuugi, that's Atemu Yami. Word is, he and Yuugi have started going out."_ Ushio pretended to gag into the phone.

The man chuckled. "They started going out did they? Well we can't allow that."

_"What do you want me to do about it?" _His obvious excitement had carried through the line as he thought of ways to torment his favorite targets.

"Nothing. My boys and I will come down to Domino ourselves. We still have some business to take care of in Nagano."

Ushio scoffed. _"Nothing? Why can't I just take care of them for you, boss?"_

"Because I know Yuugi. He and I have a kind of history together. And you know the old saying, 'history repeats itself.' Besides, I'm not through with him just yet." The man hung up the phone and stood from his seat. He walked over to the window and looked out it. He stared out over his turf and smiled. He lifted the picture Ushio had emailed him into his view.

"I think it's time I extend my territory." He ran his thumb over Yuugi's face. "You may have gotten away from me before, Yuugi, but I'm not going to let you slip out of my grip again." He looked out the window once more. "Not too long now."

XxX

_Tuesday_

Yuugi giggled. "Yami stop it. You're embarrassing me!"

"What? I just said you're adorable. And it's the truth." He winked. Yuugi blushed and took a bashful sip of his hot chocolate.

Yami smiled. This was his second date with Yuugi but for some reason, it felt like the seventh. It's as if Yami had known Yuugi all his life. It felt surreal in that Yuugi had told Yami he felt exactly the same. The two of them almost had a connection. There were times when Yami could feel what Yuugi felt even when they weren't in the same room.

Yami had never believed in magic or mental connections between two people. But Yuugi somehow made him a believer. It just didn't make any sense otherwise. Yami smiled as Yuugi finished his drink. "Are you ready to go?"

Yuugi nodded and they walked up to the counter. Even before Yami reached for his wallet, Yuugi had pulled out money from his pocket and paid for their drinks. "It's to repay you for last time. I know it's not much, but-"

Yami put a gentle finger over Yuugi's soft lips. "No. It's fine, really. That's very kind of you, Yuugi."

He cupped the boy's cheek and stoked the side of his face. "It just didn't feel right to leave you to pay for everything." Yuugi shrugged and tilted his head into Yami's hand. After a moment, the two held hands and made their way to the mall, which wasn't far away. "So what's next?" Yuugi asked.

Yami smiled. "I thought of maybe going to a movie."

Yuugi's eyes enlarged the instant he saw a poster for a movie. He pointed to it and looked at Yami. "Yes. That's the one I wanted to take you to. I hope that's ok."

Yuugi gasped. "Of course it's ok! I heard they were making this movie a while ago and I've wanted to see it so badly! I love the series! I watched it all the time when I was younger!"

"So did I." Yami blinked. "Did you see the first episode when it first aired?"

He nodded vigorously. "Yes! It was incredible! I even got Mai into it!"

The two laughed a bit. Yami was relieved to know that Yuugi wanted to see this movie as well. He had been excited about it ever since he heard they were going to make it! He was just going to go see it with Jou, but since this was the first day it was released and since Jou was on a date with Seto, he decided to take Yuugi.

Yami and Yuugi were the first in line and after buying their tickets; they found the best seats in the theater. Yami bought two sodas and a large bag of popcorn they could share. The theater was soon completely packed. The lights faded and everyone cheered. Yuugi's eyes sparkled with excitement and grinned as wide as he could when the film started rolling.

--

The movie ended and Yuugi sat in shock. It was incredible! He barely even heard Yami saying his name until he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Yuugi? What did you think?"

He tore his eyes away from the screen and smiled at his boyfriend. "It was amazing! I loved it!"

Yami smiled. They left the theater and neither could stop smiling. Once they were outside the cinema, Yuugi wrapped his arms around Yami's body and held him up against him. "Thank you so much, Yami-chan! This means so much to me! I'm so glad you took me to this movie! Thank you!"

Yami smiled. _'He called me "Yami-chan" and I don't think he's even realized it yet.' _The teen returned the embrace and smiled. "So am I. And you're very welcome."

After a moment, he looked at his watch. "It's getting late. I should get you back to your apartment." Yuugi nodded and leaned against Yami as they walked back. They enjoyed the warmth of the other and didn't want it to end. But it was abruptly ended. "Yami! It's Mai's bus!"

"What!"

"There!" He pointed to the bus that had just passed them. "That's the bus she takes to work and back! If she gets there before I do-"

Yami grabbed Yuugi's hand. "That won't happen. Let's go!"

With Yami in the lead and half pulling Yuugi along with him, they ran along side the bus. It was approaching a requested stop and had started to slow down to be no faster then the boys. It came to a complete stop and the doors opened. Yuugi thought his heart was about to fail. Mai would be walking out of the bus and she would see them!

But Yami turned sharply and rammed into the door of Yuugi's apartment building. They ran up the stairs and arrived at 'Number 6'. Yami practically threw Yuugi onto the couch. "Ja ne, Yuugi-chan!"

He quickly closed the door behind him. But just as that door closed, the main entrance opened with a loud creaking. He ran all the way up another flight of stairs and waited.

Mai walked up the stairs with her right hand fishing around in her pocket. She pulled out a small ring of keys and inserted one into the lock of her apartment door. It opened and she walked inside. "Hi Yuugi." Mai closed the door behind her.

Yami sighed. He quietly crept down the stairs and was even more silent as he walked in front of Yuugi's apartment. Luckily, no one heard him and he was able to escape. Outside, he looked up to the window with a light shining through it. He knew it was Yuugi's apartment. He smiled. "See you tomorrow, Yuugi."

XxX

_Wednesday_

Yuugi sighed. He couldn't figure out the math problem that sat unanswered in front of him. It was mocking him. Then again, Yuugi couldn't blame it. He'd been stuck on this one question alone for at least an hour. Mai wasn't home to help him out so he was all alone on this one.

'_Well that's not true.' _Yuugi shoved a hand inside his pocket and pulled out a folded and wrinkled piece of paper. He opened the paper and smiled.

Written inside it was Yami's phone number. He looked over at the ivory phone with the tangled cord. He wanted to call Yami and see if his boyfriend knew the answer. But . . . for such a meager reason . . . was it really worth bothering Yami over?

'_Yami said no matter what the reason is, I could call him and he would be there for me. But what if I interrupt him from something?'_

There was only one way to find out. He leaned over and picked up the phone. Shifting his eyes back and forth between the paper and the phone, he dialed the number and waited for the other line to pick up. Two rings later, a gentle voice carried over the line.

_"Moshi Moshi. Atemu residence."_

Yuugi froze. It wasn't Yami that picked up (like he had hoped). It was some woman. It could be his mother . . . but what should Yuugi say to her?

_"Moshi Moshi."_

He blinked. "Um . . . is . . . is uh . . . Yami-kun there?" Was that the appropriate thing to say to your boyfriend's parents? Did she even know they were going out?

_"Yes, he is. May I ask who is calling?"_

He paused. "I-it's Motou Yuugi, ma'am."

She giggled. _"Ok, Yuugi-chan! I'll get him for you."_

_"Kaasan! Stop it! You'll embarrass him!"_

His mother laughed even more before Yami grabbed the receiver and sighed. _"Sorry Yuugi. You'll have to forgive Kaasan. She doesn't know when to quite."_

"That's ok. I don't mind." Yuugi smiled.

He sighed again. _"I'm glad you called Yuugi. I need a break from Jou."_

Yuugi blinked. "Jou-kun is there?"

_"Yeah. I told you before Yuugi. Everyone is always over at my house."_

He bit his lip. "I knew it. I'm interfering with your life. I'm so sorry."

Just as he was about to hang up, _"Yuugi wait! Don't hang up!" _The boy slowly put the receiver back to his ear. "Why not?"

_"Because you're not interfering! I'm glad that you called! I wasn't doing anything anyway so don't worry about it! Really, it's fine. I wanted to talk to you anyway. I miss you a lot."_

He blushed. "Yami, we saw each other a few hours ago."

_"I know, but I want to be with you all the time. It's not fair that school can't last all day." _Yami said.

_"That's it!" _Someone took the phone from Yami and spoke. _"What have you done to Yami, Yuugi-kun?"_

"Huh?"

_"Yami would never ever say he wanted school to last all day! Did Seto help you make some kind of imitation of Yami! Is that what you are, Yami!"_

_"JOU! Give me back the phone!"_

_"NO!"_

_"GIVE IT BACK!"_

_"NOT UNTIL YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH!"_

Yuugi stared at the phone in his hand. _'What's the matter with those two?'_

_THUD!_

_"GIVE IT BACK NOW!" _Yami grunted and finally got the phone back. _"See? This is why I needed a break from Jou."_

_"HEY! Get off me!"_

Yuugi cleared his throat. "Are you two all right?"

Yami scoffed. "I'm fine. But Jou won't be for very long."

He laughed. "Be nice you two."

_"Yeah. Oh, hey, I almost forgot. When is your birthday?"_

He blinked. "Uh . . . My birthday? Why do you want to know that?"

_"Well, seeing as how you're my boyfriend, and a friend, I wanted to know when you were born so I could buy you a gift. I've heard that's what people do."_

Yuugi laughed. "Well, I was born on June 4."

_"Great! Now tell me what's your most prized possession. What's the one thing you care about the most?"_

"Like . . . a treasure?"

_"Yes. What's your treasure?"_

Yuugi paused. "I . . . I guess it's my necklace. Originally, it was in a thousand pieces and I had to assemble it. I had it when I was eight. But . . . I uh, misplaced it after I solved it. My grandfather gave it to me before he died . . . it was the only thing I had of him really. I don't even have a picture of him."

_"I see. It must have been very important to you."_

He nodded. "Yes. And I suppose that would have been my treasure."

_"What happened to it?"_

Yuugi remained quiet. He didn't want to think about what happened and he _definitely _didn't want to tell Yami. Not yet at least. _"Yuugi?"_

He came out of his trance and shook his head. "Oh, uh, s-sorry."

_"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business. But at least now I know what to get you for your birthday."_

"If you're thinking of replacing it, that's impossible." Yuugi said. "It was a one of a kind."

Yami chuckled. _"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."_

"If you're sure."

_"Yami-chan! Dinner time!"_

_"FOOD!"_

_"Jou-kun! No running in the house!"_

_"Hai, Kaasan!"_

_"I'm not your mother!"_

Yami sighed_. "Sorry, Yuugi. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."_

"All right. Bai bai."

Yuugi hung up the phone and sighed. "Wait a minute . . . oh no! I totally forgot to ask Yami about the question!" He groaned and fell back on the bed. "So much for that."

XxX

_Thursday_

"Nii-san! Why isn't Yuugi-kun here!"

Seto looked up from his computer. "Because Yami claimed him for tonight. Sorry, Mokuba."

"Why did Yami-kun claim Yuugi-kun?"

He smiled. "Because they're dating."

"Really?"

Seto nodded.

"Oh. Really?"

Again, he nodded. "Why? Is something wrong with that?"

"No, not at all. I just really wanted to show Yuugi-kun my new game! I know he'd love it!"

Seto laughed at his younger brother's enthusiasm. "Don't worry. You'll see him tomorrow night."

--

Yuugi smiled. He held Yami's arm as they waited in line. "So you're sure we can get in? I've heard _Samurai's Blood _has a very strict in-list."

"Oh I know. But don't worry, Yuugi. Kaiba pulled a few strings and got us in. I assure you our names are on the list."

It was their turn in line. Yami didn't even have to say one word. The bouncer pulled back the rope. "Welcome to _Samurai's Blood._"

Yuugi thanked the bouncer and they stepped inside. The gentle lyrics of Ayumi Hamasaki's _Fly High. _( I don't own Ayumi Hamasaki!) Yami knew he wouldn't be able to speak over the lyrics, so he grabbed Yuugi's hand and pulled him over to the dance floor. Yuugi was really nervous since he always thought he couldn't dance very well. He just hoped he wouldn't disappoint Yami.

Yuugi tried hard to do his best. But when he stepped on Yami's toe that was the last straw. For Yuugi at least. The song ended and Yuugi turned his back to Yami as if saying, 'I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot. I'll understand if you'd rather dance with someone else.'

But Yami had no intention of switching partners. His arms wrapped around Yuugi's slim waist as the next song started. As Izawa Yuichi's _Warriors _( I don't own Izawa Yuichi!) played in the background, Yuugi looked over his shoulder into Yami's crimson eyes. The boy's face was twisted with confusion.

Yami pressed his nose against Yuugi's neck and nuzzled him a bit. This was the teen's way of saying, 'It's all right. I'm not mad. Just trust me.' Yuugi smiled and moaned a little, but it was drowned out by the music.

The beat picked up and the lyrics rang out in the room. Yami shifted his weight from side to side, bending his knee slightly. While he did that, he raised his hips on one side. With Yuugi's waist in his arms, he moved the boy's body in tune with his own so Yuugi would copy his movements.

"_Itsu shika ikiru tame ni Okizari ni shita Shiawase_"

The first verse started and Yami quickly spun Yuugi around so they could stare into each other's eyes. Yami didn't want Yuugi to only copy his movements. To Yami, dancing was a way to express oneself. But if Yuugi were concentrating too much on looking good, he would actually make himself appear as a fool.

They moved to the beat, having similar actions, but when you're dancing this close to someone, it really can't be helped. Yuugi tried to look down at their feet, but Yami quickly put a hand under Yuugi's chin and pulled him back up. They stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"_Hitomi tojita shikai no hate de Kimi no egao Sagashiteta_"

Yami moved his hand to Yuugi's cheek and gently stroked it with his thumb. It was to assure him he was doing fine and to not focus on his body. Once he was sure Yuugi wouldn't look down again, he put his arm around Yuugi's waist once again.

Yuugi wrapped his arms around Yami's neck. Until now, he was only holding the other's hips. But as time went on, he gained more confidence and didn't care what he was doing. Yuugi smiled. This was the time of his life.

Soon the song ended and Yami spotted an empty booth in the corner. He could see Yuugi was tired and decided to take a break for now. They sat in the cushioned seats and cuddled up close. Yuugi sighed.

See-Saw's _In the land of twilight, under the moon _(I don't own See-Saw!)played. Since it was a little quieter, and they were further away from the speakers, the couple could finally talk and be able to hear each other.

"You did really well, Yuugi. You're a very good dancer."

He mirthlessly laughed. "No, not really. I usually can't dance. And I'm really sorry for stepping on your toe. I'm such a klutz!"

"Oh don't worry, Yuugi." He ran his fingers through Yuugi's hair. "It's ok. You didn't hurt me. And you're not a klutz. You just focused too much on what you were doing. Dancing should be natural."

Yuugi nodded against Yami's chest. "Yeah. I just wish I was good at it like you are."

"I'll teach you someday if you like."

He smiled and gladly accepted the offer. Yami got up and went to go get some drinks. He came back with a diet soda in each hand, since neither of them was old enough to drink anything alcoholic. He was glad the plastic cups now came with a sealed plastic dome over them. It was now almost guaranteed that nothing could be slipped into them.

Yami gave his boyfriend the soda, which Yuugi gratefully accepted. Yuugi gently sucked on the straw and greedily drank the soda. When he finished it, he licked his lips and made a loud gulping noise. Yami was almost tempted to put the ice in his pants to keep from getting aroused. Yuugi might think his some kind of pervert!

He took a deep breath and soon got over it. Yami smiled. "Are you having fun, Yuugi?"

"Yes! I'm having a lot of fun! I'm glad I came here with you, Yami. You know, I've never been to a club before."

Yami stood up and held Yuugi's hand. "Then how 'bout I make it even more fun for you." A tint of pink hit his face, but Yuugi agreed anyway.

_Ichirin no hana_ ( I don't own HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR!) filled their ears as they made their way to the dance floor. This time when they danced, Yuugi never looked at his feet or at what he was doing. He let his body flow naturally with the music and let loose.

Yami danced and stared at Yuugi's body. He couldn't believe how much the boy had improved! He just let it happen, not caring who saw. His body moved with grace and elegance. He was never off beat and always seemed to be having fun. By the end of the song, both were panting.

Yami mouthed the words, "That song goes too fast!"

Yuugi nodded. Thankfully, the deejay announced he would be playing a slow song now. "So all you lovers out there better get on the floor!"

Yuugi smiled and looked at Yami. He nodded and they held each other around their waists. The gentle, soft tune of _Hana _( I don't own Orange Range!) played and they slowly swayed with the music.

Yuugi closed his eyes and smiled. The song displayed his feelings for Yami in every way. He didn't want to leave Yami ever. He swore to always be by his side. He wished they could stay in each other's arms for eternity. Their love would last forever and he would never have to hear the name Juro again. Yuugi truly believed they were destined to be together.

Yami had also closed his eyes. He too wanted to stay with Yuugi for the rest of his life. If they were old enough, Yami would have proposed to Yuugi right now. But he wasn't ready for that just yet.

Until then, he would keep Yuugi safe and in his arms. Yuugi would be his, forever. He had a tighter grip on his boyfriend's waist as their embrace turned almost possessive. Yami wouldn't let anyone take Yuugi away from him.

Yuugi felt tears fall from his eyes. Yuugi held Yami tighter then ever. Right now, even if it wasn't real, he just wanted to be loved.

XxX

_Saturday_

Seto sighed. "Hey Yuugi? Are you ok in there?"

"Yeah." Came the hesitant reply of Seto's employee.

Jou smiled. "What's wrong? Does it fit?"

Yuugi forced out a laugh. "No it fits just fine."

"Then what's the problem?" The CEO inquired.

The lock to the changing room Yuugi was using clicked and the door slowly opened. Seto and Jou simultaneously gasped. "I look stupid." Yuugi said bluntly.

Yuugi's forehead adorned a white tie that had the _kanji _for 'game' in red ink. He wore a white shirt with sleeves down to his elbow. Half of the sleeves were red with a wave design. The bottom hem of the shirt was red with the same wave design. Yuugi wore white shorts that stopped just below his knee. The bottom of the shorts looked the same as his shirt. The shoes he wore were plain white with a red bottom to match the rest of it.

Seto blinked. "Yuugi, you don't look stupid! I think you look great!"

"Yeah! That outfit is so . . . sporty and fun! You should wear it on your next date with Yami-kun!"

Yuugi blushed.

"And if you keep that blush on your face while you're going out with him the outfit looks even better!"

"Jou-kun!" Yuugi wined.

Seto held his chin. "Ok. Well, we're defiantly getting that one."

The shortest of the group frowned. "Seto-san . . . I still feel wrong about all this. I mean . . . you shouldn't be wasting your money on me."

"Yuugi for the last and final time I am not wasting my money! This is something I want to do and you can't stop me no matter what you say!" Seto nodded once as if to finalize the argument.

Yuugi sighed. "All right."

"So what's next, Seto? Something casual or sexy?"

Seto grinned. "Let's go with sexy."

Yuugi's eyes became larger then china plates. "Are you kidding me?"

Jou and Seto ran off into the store to find the perfect outfit. Yuugi couldn't chase after them because he still wore the outfit. He was unfortunately forced to stay there.

Meanwhile, Seto looked at tops while Jou searched through the pants. With Seto, there were all kinds of good-looking shirts and tops of all kinds that would look great on Yuugi. But he wanted one that would be absolutely perfect! Blue, black, red, white and maybe orange seemed to be good colors for Yuugi.

He took a hanger from the shelf and carefully examined the black shirt. There was a light tinge of red to the black, making it seem almost seductive. It was about one size too small so it would define Yuugi's body perfectly. On the right shoulder was the _kanji_ for 'love' in blue thread.

Seto thought this would look amazing on Yuugi. He could just imagine Yuugi's small form being hugged gently by the imitation leather. He smirked. _'Perfect.'_

He tossed the shirt onto Jou's head. "Here, puppy. Find pants to match with that one."

Jou pulled the shirt off his blonde mop of hair and held it out in front of his eyes. He grinned. "Nice!"

He threw the shirt over his shoulder and squatted down. Most of the pants he saw were far too big for Yuugi's small hips and legs. It almost didn't seem fair for Yuugi to be so short. But he soon came across dark blue imitation leather pants. They were so dark Jou had mistaken them for black pants. But the tag said dark blue.

_'Well, if the _tag_ says they're dark blue.'_

He pulled the pants off the rack and held them underneath the shirt. He stood up and turned to Seto. "What do you think?"

The CEO turned around and smiled. "Not bad. Find a belt that matches and we're fine."

A few other outfits were picked out and they left the clothing store. Next was an accessory story.

Yuugi chose only a few things to be put in his room. A stylish lamp, a matching clock, and Seto insisted on buying two items. A phone so Yuugi could have his own private line in the KC headquarters and a framed picture of the Black Magician.

When Yuugi saw that picture, his eyes were about to burst out of his head. The Black Magician was his favorite card in Duel Monsters. He always wanted that card more then anything in the world!

Seto didn't miss the boy's reaction to it. So he had to buy it for Yuugi. Yami's boyfriend tried to decline, but Seto wouldn't take no for an answer. He had bought the picture and even had it wrapped in bubble paper so it wouldn't break.

Yuugi sighed. "Seto-san please. You're giving me too much."

"Oh please Yuugi. We haven't even gotten through a quarter of the stores here!" Seto said.

Jou stood beside Yuugi with the bags of everything they've bought so far in his hands. He had a grin on his face. "Trust me, Yuugi. Seto isn't finished. Even if you weren't here with us, he'd still buy stuff for you."

Yuugi smiled and followed Seto to a music store. He bought a bunch of CDs, a new Walkman (since Yuugi didn't have one) and a few more Duel Monsters posters.

They got through half the stores in the mall before both Jou and Yuugi collapsed on a bench.

"That's it. I give up." Jou said panting. Each time they went into a store, Seto made his boyfriend carry all the bags. His hands were red and even slightly swollen from having so much weight in his hands.

"I'm too tired. I can't . . . do any more, Seto-san." Yuugi panted. He brought one of his feet onto his leg. He grabbed the bottom of his foot and turned it around in circles. "My feet are dying. I just can't, Seto-san."

Seto sighed. "All right. We'll finish up some other time. I'll get Isono to drive the car to the south entrance. It's the closest to us."

Yuugi looked up with half lidded eyes and weak smile. "Thank you, Seto-san."

He nodded and whipped out his cell phone. Jou leaned forward and rested his elbows against his knees. "You ok, Yuugi?"

"Yeah. I'll be ok."

Jou frowned. "You sure? If you're too tired, Seto can carry you. He won't mind really."

Yuugi laughed. Apparently Jou didn't know Seto had carried him before. "I'll be fine, Jou."

Seto led the way to the car, which all three of them were glad to sit in. The seats were comfortable, the air conditioner was set to a cool temperature and everything was just right.

Jou sighed. "I'm exhausted! I've never done that much shopping before in my entire life!"

"Yes you have! Remember when we went to the mall on your birthday? You made me buy you a lot more then what we got today." Seto said ungratefully.

Jou and Seto started an argument, which lasted for a few minutes. But soon, they forgave each other and Jou sat beside Seto.

The CEO was about to apologize to Yuugi, but he felt something fall on his shoulder.

"Aww . . . that's adorable." Jou sweetly commented.

Yuugi had fallen asleep and had rested his head against Seto's shoulder.

Seto smiled. _'Poor guy. He must be really tired if he could sleep through one of our fights.'_

When they were a few blocks from Yuugi's home, Seto poked his cheek. "Yuugi, wake up. We're almost there." Yuugi quietly moaned and snuggled closer to Seto. "Yami . . ."

Jou had to cover his mouth to keep from giggling. "That's so cute!" Seto smiled. _'He even thinks about Yami in his sleep. They sure are in love.'_

The car came to a halt in front of the apartment building. No matter what Seto or Jou tried, Yuugi just wouldn't wake up. He gripped Seto's arm and even put one of his legs around his waist.

Seto had given up. He wrapped his arms around Yuugi's body and together, they got out of the car. Seto was forced to carry Yuugi like a small child to his apartment. Jou fished around in Yuugi's pocket for a key to the door and soon found one.

Seto walked inside and looked around a bit. The apartment wasn't very fit for Yuugi or Mai to live in. It looked dirty and old. Peeking behind the couch was a hole in the wall where some of the wiring was visible.

He turned on the light but it wasn't very bright. Seto walked down the hall and opened the first door he saw. It was a bedroom with a small bed that was built for only one person but from the looks of it, _two_ people slept in it.

Seto frowned. Just from looking around, he could tell they were poor. Why didn't they live with a mother and father? Was Mai _really all_ Yuugi had? He sighed and walked toward the bed. He gently put Yuugi down and nearly ripped his shirt when he took Yuugi's hands off himself.

The boy whimpered at the loss of warmth. Seto looked around and found an old, tattered and worn stuffed animal. It wasn't warm, but it would have to do.

He pushed the teddy bear against Yuugi's chest. The boy smiled and hugged it tightly. "Yami-chan . . ."

Seto smiled. He had to admit, the young boy was adorable. He picked up the blanket and tucked Yuugi in. _'He's all tuckered out, the poor thing. Did I just say tuckered?'_

He sighed and decided to leave. All the cuteness seemed to be rubbing off on him. Seto and Jou returned to the car and cuddled as the engine started.

"Man, I didn't think Yuugi-kun felt so strongly for Yami."

Seto nodded. "Yeah. But you can see it between the two. I can tell they'll be together forever."

Jou smiled. "No doubt. But they're at the stage that's the best in relationships. They're crazy for each other. And pretty soon they'll be all over each other."

"I think we'll be all over each other before they are, anata." Seto captured Jou's lips in a heated kiss.

(Me: Well, I think you know where that's going.)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Masami: AND CUT! Thank you everyone! We're finished for today.

(Seto and Jou continue making out)

Yami: hey! You know, we're done filming.

(Still making out)

Yuugi: (clears throat) Um, Jou-kun?

(Violently making out. Start having sex.)

Yuugi: OO

Yami: (covers Yuugi's eyes) Don't look Yuugi!

Masami: (gets out video camera)

Damion: -.- (takes film the editing room)

REVIEW AND I'LL LEND YOU A TAPE OF SETO AND JOU!

Authoress Note: I know the scene with Yuugi-chan calling Yami-kun about the math homework was really pointless and a little unnecessary. But the reason I left it in is because I wanted to show that their love for each other distracts them from other things. I've seen it happen before with some of my friends. You know? It was just to show their love for each other. Sorry if it was boring!

Authoress Note 2: PM/email me if you want the English lyrics for "Hana". It's a really beautiful song and I'll even send it to you if you want. Or whatever . . .


	9. Cinderella

Masami: Are we ready?

Cast and Crew: yes

Masami: Then why the hell are you standing around here? GET INTO YOUR PLACES!

(everyone takes their place on the stage)

Masami: Lights, Roll Camera!...ACTION!

XxX

Chapter Nine: Cinderella

_Monday_

"It's about time you opened up, Ushio." He walked inside, completely ignoring what his second in command was saying. He sat down on the couch and rested his muddy boots on the coffee table. "So give me an update. What's been going on with Yuugi and that other guy?"

Ushio sat across from him. "Yami and the shrimp started dating. I think one of my guys said they've gone on three or four dates all ready."

He scoffed. "I get it. Trying to steal my Yuugi away is he?"

"You're after the shrimp?"

He rolled his eyes. "I told you over the phone. Me and Yuugi have a history together. Now that I know where his bitch of a stepsister took him to, we can pick up where we left off."

Ushio blinked. _'Why would the boss want that shrimp? He's not good for anything accept for beating up whenever you're angry.'_

The boss smiled. "So tell me, where does Yuugi live?"

XxX

_Still Monday_

Yuugi took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He was glad he had a chance to breath. This past weekend had been so busy, Yuugi could barely think before something else happened.

At least now it was Monday. Once he was finished cleaning the halls with Yami, he could go home and wait for Mai to leave so he could celebrate Seto and Jou's two-year anniversary. "Yami, where are we going for the celebration tonight?"

The teen thought about it for a minute. "I can't remember. Don't worry, it's a safe place."

Yuugi smiled. "Oh I know. I trust you guys."

Yami looked around with his hands on his hips. "I think that's it then. I'm done here."

"I'm just about done." The teen looked over at his boyfriend and smiled. Yuugi was gently scratching at a clump of dirt on the window. "You know, the windows don't have to be perfectly clean."

Yuugi smiled. "Well in my book they do. Every time I was told to clean my room, it was absolutely spotless. You could almost see yourself in the carpet! It was the rules of the house after all so I had to obey them."

Yami half smiled. "I guess it's a good rule to live by."

_'Not when you know the consequences._' But Yuugi just smiled and nodded. Finally, he finished and together they put everything away. Yami smiled and held Yuugi's hands. "So I'll see you tonight?"

The boy smiled and nodded. "Yes."

Yami leaned in and gave Yuugi a small kiss on the cheek. "Good. We'll pick you up tonight at 6:00 sharp for the celebration."

"All right. I'll see you then, Yami."

The teen nodded and turned around, but looked over his shoulder. "Until six, Yuugi-chan."

By now, Yuugi was used to all of the pet names Yami had given him. But 'Yuugi-chan' was the one that really bothered him. It had been used on him before . . . but maybe it was different with Yami. Yuugi met up with Mai and after getting all of their things, they walked home in silence.

On the way home, Yuugi was biting his lip. _'I don't know. Maybe I should talk to Yami about it. After all, he's my boyfriend. We should talk to each other about what we're feeling. But not tonight. I don't wanna ruin anything for Seto and Jou. I'll tell him on our date on Tuesday. For now, let's just take it one day at a time.'_

Mai looked at Yuugi out of the corner of her eye. "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing."

Mai scoffed. She knew something was up. Yuugi was never this happy before. What was it that could have filled his heart with such joy?

--

Yuugi shot down the stairs and hugged Yami as the door opened. "Yami! I'm so excited! I can't wait!"

Yami coughed. The unexpected embrace had knocked a bit of his wind out, but he was happy Yuugi was so eager. He took Yuugi's hand in his and pulled him down to the limo. They slid inside and sat across from Seto, Jou and Honda. Yuugi smiled. "Congratulations Seto-san! Happy anniversary Jou-kun!"

"Thanks Yuugi." Seto said. "I'm glad you came with us. The restaurant we're going to is Domino City's finest ever!"

His smile widened. "That's so cool! I can't wait! This is going to be really fun. But . . . I wish I had a gift to give you two."

"Please! Yuugi, we don't need anything from you." Jou grinned. "Today isn't about presents. It's about our anniversary and that's it."

Seto nodded. "I'm just glad you could come."

They arrived at the restaurant. Yuugi shyly held Yami's hand and smiled at him. The group walked in together and stood in the small line. When it was their turn, the waiter smiled.

"Konbonwa, Kaiba-san-tachi!" The woman bowed respectfully. "Welcome to Yoshikuni. My name is Yuko and I'll be your waitress. If you'll follow me, I will show you to your reserved table."

They followed Yuko through the maze like restaurant to the very back where a large, empty booth was literally roped off so no one would trespass. Yuko removed the rope to allow them entrance. "How does everyone feel for water as a starter?"

Seto nodded. "Yes, that's fine."

"And will anyone be needing any drinks tonight?" Knowing she was referring to alcohol, Seto shook his head.

"Excellent." Yuko handed everyone a menu while listing off the specials. She then left to service other people. But apparently, Yuugi had something very urgent he had to talk to her about. Why else would he have climbed over Yami to chase after her? Yami stood up. "Yuugi, what's wrong?"

Jou waved his hand. "Just let him go. He probably has to use the bathroom."

The teen sat down again. "So how has it been going with him, Yami? Is he ok?" Seto asked.

Yami nodded. "Yeah, so far it's been going just fine. I don't think there's anything we need to be worried about right now. He hasn't had any asthma attacks and Yuugi seems really happy. Then again, he's not really the one I'm worried about."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"It happened a while ago. But it's been bothering me for so long now." Yami leaned in with the others. "Before Yuugi and I started going out, we had a talk when we were cleaning the halls on the second floor. We finished cleaning early that day. It was the first day of his new job and he had some spare time so I just held him for a while. We had started to fall asleep but I heard someone take a picture of us."

Seto frowned. He knew what that meant. Anyone could use that picture as blackmail or information. This was not good.

"I know it was one of Ushio's friends. But for some reason he hasn't made any move on it. He's barely even looked at us. It's really worrying me. I'm scared of what he might try to pull on Yuugi."

Seto nodded. "He has seemed pretty quiet. More then usual at least."

"I know. But Yuugi doesn't know about it."

"I don't know about what?" Everybody sat back and smiled at Yuugi, seeing that he had returned. Yami moved over so Yuugi could sit beside him again. "Oh nothing. Just a surprise I have for you later."

Yuugi smiled contently and the night went on. It was a wonderful celebration filled with laughter and happiness. Before the food was served, Seto presented Jou with a beautiful silver dog tag. The inscription said _'Name: Katsuya Jounouchi. If lost please return me to my owner Kaiba Seto.'_

It was a bit of a joke since Seto always calls Jou 'puppy', but Jou didn't mind that much. He laughed and accepted the present.

Yuugi smiled upon the two lovers. He hoped that his relationship with Yami would last just as long and looked forward to their anniversary. The evening started winding down and everyone decided it was time to go home. Yuugi got out of the booth and stretched. "Oh! That was so much fun!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Yami smiled.

Yuugi nodded. Everyone walked through the maze again to the teller to pay for the meal. Beside the cash register were the coat hangers, holding their jackets up.

Yuugi went to grab his jacket, but Yami had taken it before he could. He grasped Yuugi's school jacket by the lapels and held it out to him. Yuugi smiled gratefully and turned around. He slipped his arms into the sleeves and lifted his shoulders so the jacket was properly on. Yami wrapped his arms around Yuugi's shoulders and held him close.

"Maybe we should come here for our anniversary." Yami whispered in his ear.

Yuugi closed his eyes. He blushed and nodded. "Yeah."

He opened his eyes and gasped. Just to his left, he saw someone staring at them with an evil glare fixed on the couple. Yami looked over in shock. It was Mai, wearing the same uniform as Yuko! This was where she worked! Mai seethed. She turned viciously on her heels and walked away without saying a word. Yuugi started to shake. _'Oh god . . . she knows about us. She . . .'_

Yami turned Yuugi around and held his face. "Don't be afraid of her, Yuugi. It's going to be all right."

He began breathing heavily and Yami knew he was panicking. He whispered, "Yami, she knows! She knows!"

Yami held Yuugi close and smoothed back the boy's hair. "It's ok, Yuugi. We'll face her together. She won't stop us from being together. I'll always be by your side."

Yuugi nodded and slowly started to calm down. "I know."

Jou looked over and frowned. He was about to say something but Yami shook his head. The teen stood there with his boyfriend until Yuugi pulled back. He looked up at Yami with unshed tears. "I'm scared Yami. I don't know what she's going to do to me."

"She won't do anything." Yami gently stroked Yuugi's cheek. "I'll stay with you tonight and we'll wait for her together."

Yuugi bit his lip. "I don't think that's such a good idea. If we're alone, together at my place . . ."

"We'll talk about it when we get there. For now, let's go home."

Yuugi nodded. When everyone was back in the limo, Jou commented on the food and did all he could to cheer Yuugi up. He made it look like he was trying to entertain everyone so Yuugi wasn't in the spotlight. Thankfully, Yuugi just laughed along with the others instead of catching on to Jou's plan.

The car stopped in front of Yuugi's apartment complex and the couple got out. "H-happy anniversary."

Yami put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll talk to you later."

He shut the door and slapped the car roof a few times, telling the driver to go. Once the limo was out of site, he turned to Yuugi. Without a word, they walked inside the building and into his apartment. They sat on the couch after taking off their shoes. And for a while, they sat in silence. "Yuugi, talk to me. Say something."

Yuugi hesitated. "I . . . I knew this was going to happen." His gaze shifted to the hands in his lap. "Something this good . . . would have had a short life span."

Yami held the boy's hand. "Don't say that. Nothing is over yet. No matter what Mai says she can't take apart out relationship. She won't destroy our love."

Yuugi sniffed. "I know that. But . . . what if she makes us move away? I can't live without you, Yami!"

He grabbed the teen's shirt and pulled him close. Yuugi cried tears of uncertainty, fear, and love against Yami's chest.

Instantly, the teen wrapped his arms around Yuugi's body and held him tightly. "You won't leave Yuugi. Mai can try as hard as she can to tear us apart, but she never can. Not ever. You'll always be in my heart. I swear she won't take you away from me."

Yami himself felt tears burning his eyes. He forced himself to blink them away. He couldn't let his own fears of the situation show through. He had to be strong and support Yuugi.

"What are we going to do, Yami? What?" He sobbed. "The instant Mai walks through that door-"

"Shh . . . I told you she won't separate us. I'll always be with you, Yuugi. We'll always be together."

After several minutes, Yuugi calmed down and sat back against the couch. "Better?"

The shorter nodded. "I'm sorry. I just got scared."

Yami smiled and leaned back with him. "It's ok. Being scared isn't a bad thing. I'm not as calm as I look. But when Mai does come here, we have to show her that we're strong."

Yuugi smiled. "I promise I will. I won't be weak in front of her."

The two waited a good three hours before Mai actually came home. Her anger hadn't subsided one bit. She seethed with her teeth bared. Mai pointed a single finger at Yami. "You! How dare you touch Yuugi like that! I told you to stay away from him!"

"When two people love each other, it's hard for them to be apart." Yami squeezed Yuugi's hand to help him be strong.

Mai let out a single fake laugh. "You don't love him! I know your kind all too well, Atemu! You tell Yuugi you love him so he'll love you too! But all you really want from him is a good fuck now and then! That's all he's good for isn't it!"

Yuugi had taken a silent breath as Mai spoke. He was finally ready to stand up for his love. "Mai, stop. Yami and I really do love each other. It doesn't matter what you say or do, we'll still be together."

"Yuugi . . ." She glared at her stepbrother. "How dare you betray me! I'm the only family you have and you go off with this asshole and start dating behind my back! What are you thinking! Atemu's dangerous!"

Yuugi shook his head. "No, he's not. Yami cares for me and I care about him. He would never hurt me or force himself on me." He suddenly looked down at the ground. His voice had shrunk when he said, "He's not like Keith."

Yami's forehead wrinkled with concern and confusion. _'Who's Keith? Could he and Yuugi . . .'_

Mai bit her lip. Her anger burned harder then the seven fires of Hell itself! But . . . she couldn't be too mad at Yuugi for what he just said. Mai quieted down to let Yuugi continue.

Slowly, her stepbrother went on. "I know that I shouldn't have gone out with Yami behind your back. But if I told you, this is how you would have reacted."

Yuugi looked up at Mai with tear soaked eyes. "There are two people I love in my life. You . . . and Yami. I don't want to lose either of you. Please, Mai. Can't you just be happy for us? I know it's going to be hard, but we can trust Yami. He's a good person and would never hurt anyone. I promise you that I'm safe with him. Please let me stay with Yami."

She glared. "You would choose Atemu over your only family. I can't believe you would stoop so low, not only to betray me, but to be this bastard's whore!"

Yami growled. "Mai, you've gone too far! Yuugi is not a whore! And he has _never_ betrayed you. If you can't be happy for him then you're the one who has turned your back on your family."

Mai screamed. "How dare you talk about my family! This has nothing to do with you!"

She ran forward and balled her fist. Yami had made a promise to never hit a woman so he pushed Yuugi away and dodged her attack. But this sudden movement had thrown Mai off guard and she stumbled a bit before falling on her face. Yuugi let go of Yami's hand to help Mai up. She had smacked his hand away before he could touch her.

"I don't need any help from you, Motou!" She spat with venom coating her hateful voice. She stood up on her own while glaring at the both of them. "If you want to be together so badly, then I refuse to be involved with you any more, Yuugi! Get out!"

He gasped. "Mai, please. Don't reject-"

"GET OUT!"

She screamed and raised her hand to slap Yuugi, but as Mai brought her hand down, Yami caught her wrist to save Yuugi from any injury. "How could you hurt your own brother? Why would you charge him with such horrible accusations?"

Mai ripped her arm away. "Get out! GET OUT!"

Yami glared and put an arm around Yuugi's shoulders. "Come on, Yuugi."

The boy pushed Yami's arm off. He looked up at Mai with pleading eyes. "Mai . . . please don't do this."

This time when Mai raised her hand, Yami couldn't stop her. He tried to grab her hand again, but she was too quick. Mai's palm painfully connected with Yuugi's right cheek.

Yuugi took a step back and held his quickly bruising cheek. "M-Mai . . ."

Yami glared at his boyfriend's stepsister. "Be careful, Mai! I don't want to have to report this to someone. The police, perhaps. You would get in a lot of trouble for hurting your stepbrother."

"He's not my family! Not any more. Take him and get out of my apartment." Mai spun on her heels and walked into her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her.

Silence rang through out the apartment. Yuugi stood in absolute shock. How could Mai be so cruel? After everything they've been through. But to Mai, it didn't mean anything.

Yuugi ran out of the apartment as fast as he could, forgetting his shoes. He ignored Yami's cries and ran faster. The teen turned around when his boyfriend ran out. "Yuugi! Wait!"

But the boy didn't stop. "Damn it!" Yami ran to the door, slipped on his shoes and grabbed Yuugi's shoes as well as his backpack. He ran down the steps and out the building entrance. "Yuugi!"

He looked right and left. In the direction of the latter, he could hear faint sobs and coughs. He ran towards where these heart-wrenching sounds were coming from.

It soon led him to a small ally between two buildings. In the darkness, he could see Yuugi curled into a ball. It was obvious he was crying, but Yami could also see Yuugi was struggling to breath. "Oh no. Not again!"

He pulled Yuugi into his lap and began the breathing exercise once more. This time it took Yuugi a little longer to get his asthma under control, but after words, he was ok. When he could breath again, Yami told Yuugi to get some rest.

The boy fell asleep instantly. The stress and the pain were just too much for him. Yami soothingly rubbed his back while he took out his cell phone and pressed speed-dial two. He pressed it to his ear and waited. _"Moshi moshi."_

Yami sighed. "Don't tell me Kaiba's in another meeting."

_"Sorry Yami-kun." _Mokuba apologized. _"Do you want to leave a message?"_

"No. I have to talk to him now." Yami silently demanded.

Mokuba paused. _"I can't pull him out of the meeting. He's talking with an extremely important client. Why do you have to talk to him so badly?"_

The teen groaned. "You wouldn't understand. But maybe you can help. I need you to send someone to come pick me and Yuugi up. It's very important."

_"Sure! I'll send Isono-san over immediately."_

Yami told Mokuba where they were before hanging up. He rubbed Yuugi's back again and hummed a silent tune. He knew very well that Yuugi was asleep and didn't need to be calmed down. This was mostly to settle his own nerves.

He couldn't believe Mai had done that to Yuugi. Not only did she hit him, but also she basically disowned him! Yami held the boy to him tightly as he cried. It wasn't fair. Mai said she was the only family Yuugi had. How could she do that to him if he had no where to go!

The teen looked down at his boyfriend. Even though no emotions were passing on his face, Yami could tell Yuugi was still upset. Perhaps it was the tearstains down his cheeks. He sighed and wiped them away. Even without any evidence the boy had been desperately crying to himself, Yami could see a lonely, sad boy who now had no family who loved him.

"But I'll always love you, Yuugi. Even if Mai still rejects us, I'll be with you forever." He kissed the sleeping boy's forehead gently and sat back, waiting for Isono. He closed his eyes to try and make the time pass by faster. But with his eyes closed, Yami didn't see Yuugi's lips curl into a tiny, content smile.

Yami heard thunder in the distance and soon felt a raindrop. He took off his jacket and laid it on Yuugi's head and shoulders to keep him as dry as possible. It rained heavily and Yami knew the water would soak through the material, but it was the best he could do. With in a few minutes, Isono had found the two lying in the ally.

"Atemu-san! Are you both all right!"

Yami nodded. He stood up and gathered Yuugi in his arms.

"Do you need any assistance, sir?"

"No, I'm fine. Please just drive us to my house."

Isono opened the back door for Yami. "Of course, sir."

When the car door closed, Yuugi gasped. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Yami. His head was cradled gently in Yami's lap. "Yami? What's going on?"

The teen stroked Yuugi's head and smiled. "Don't worry. We're going to my house. You'll stay with me for now."

"But your parents . . ."

He nodded. "It'll be all right. They won't mind at all. They know about my preference and about us. I know they'll let you stay. You don't have to worry."

Yuugi sighed. He turned his body towards Yami and the back of the seats and snuggled closer to the teen.

Yami blushed. Yuugi's face was extremely close to his lower regions. But he had to over come it! He couldn't . . . not in front of Yuugi like that. He took a few deep breaths and settled down.

XxX

Hiroko heard the door open. "Kaneda! I think Yami-chan is home now." There was an answer, but it wasn't from her husband.

"Kaasan! Clean up my room please!"

Hiroko blinked. "Why do you need me to do it?" She walked to the entrance and gasped. "Yami, what's going on? Who's-"

"This is Yuugi. I'll explain later. Please just trust me."

Hiroko nodded and ran to her son's room. While she was going up the stairs, she yelled to her husband to help Yami downstairs. Kaneda slowly stepped out of his bedroom and walked downstairs. He blinked when he saw his rain soaked son with a wet boy in his arms. "Yami, is that Yuugi?"

He nodded. "Can you please run a warm bath for him? I don't want him getting sick."

Kaneda nodded. He ran to the bathroom and started running the water. Hiroko returned to watch Yami gently set Yuugi on the couch. She smiled as Yami woke him up.

"Yuugi, wake up now. Come on."

The boy slowly opened his eyes. "Yami?"

He smiled. "Hey there. How do you feel?"

"A little wet."

Yami chuckled. "It started raining after you fell asleep. Don't worry you can take a warm bath. It'll make you feel better."

Yuugi smiled. "'Kay."

Hiroko giggled. She smiled kindly when Yuugi looked over at her. "Hi there."

Yuugi got off the couch. "I'm so sorry. I got your couch wet."

Hiroko smiled and shook her head. "Don't you worry about that, Yuugi-chan. It's no problem."

Yami put a hand on Yuugi's shoulder to reassure him. Hiroko walked over and smiled. "Hello. If you haven't figured it out, I'm Yami's mother, Hiroko. You can just call me by my name."

"She already knows your name, Yuugi." Yami whispered to him.

Yuugi nodded. "It's very nice to meet you, Hiroko-san."

She smiled. "You're a very kind boy, Yuugi-chan. You can stay with us as long as you need to. We'd be glad to have you here."

Footsteps from up the stairs were coming closer to them. A man stood at the base of the stairs. Hiroko stood next to him while he put an arm around her shoulders. "This is Kaneda, Yami's father."

Kaneda simply nodded. Yuugi bowed slightly at both of them. "I'm honored to stay in your household, Atemu-san."

Kaneda smirked. "We're glad to have you. Yami, the bath is ready. If you don't want to get sick, I suggest you get in the water while it's still warm."

Yami nodded. "Come on, Yuugi. Let's get you out of those wet clothes."

Yuugi blushed and followed him. When they were out of earshot, Yuugi said, "You have wonderful parents, Yami. I've never met either of them and they've welcomed me into their home just like that."

Yami smiled. "Why wouldn't they?"

Yuugi stepped into the bathroom alone and stripped off his wet clothing before getting into the bath. The water was warm and soothing against his tired muscles. He leaned against the back of the tub and sighed.

"Are you in the tub now, Yuugi?" Yami called from the other side of the door where he kept guard.

"Yes. You can come in if you want."

The door opened and closed. He could hear Yami's sock less feet falling on the tiled floor to stop in front of the toilet. He sat down and Yuugi could "sense" the teen was smiling.

"So are you feeling all right now? You're not getting sick on me are you?"

Yuugi chuckled. "No, I think I'll be ok. But what about you? You weren't wearing your jacket so what if you get sick?"

"Don't worry about me. There's a bathroom downstairs too so I'll take a shower in a minute." Yami said. "I just wanted to make sure you're all right."

Yuugi nodded, but he knew Yami couldn't see him past the shower curtain. "I'll be ok."

"You can trust my parents. They'll leave you well enough alone."

"I know. You can have your shower. I'll be all right in here by myself."

Yami smiled. "All right. I'll see you in a minute."

The door opened and closed once more, leaving Yuugi in the silence of the bathroom.

--

Yami sighed as he stepped into the shower. He turned the water on and pulled the lever to turn on the showerhead. The warm water ran down his body, instantly relaxing his tense muscles. The shower was more of a stall for one person so he could lean against the opposite wall of the showerhead and close his eyes while water still trickled down his skin.

_'I can't believe it. How could Mai just throw Yuugi out onto the streets like that? I've never known anyone to be so cruel to their own family!'_

He sighed and grabbed to soap, starting to build up lather. _'I just hope Yuugi is ok. He's the one who really has to deal with this. But at least he won't be alone.'_

--

Yuugi leaned against the back of the tub once more. He sighed. Today had overwhelmed him quiet a bit. He was almost tempted to just fall asleep in the water and let it consume him. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't imagine what Yami would go through if he killed himself. Besides, this ordeal wasn't enough to turn to such drastic measures.

Although, he did slide down into the water just to clear his thoughts. His knees stayed above water while the rest of his body was submerged. Before Yuugi's face went under, he took a deep breath and held it.

In his ears was a dull rumbling noise. He thought it was his heartbeat, but it wasn't a beating sound he heard. It was just a noise that filled his ears, nothing more. But after a moment or two, Yuugi could indeed hear his heartbeat. He whimpered. Yuugi felt as if hands had placed themselves on his knees and began spreading his legs.

He gasped and sat up, accidentally inhaling some of the water. He coughed it all up and cleared his air way. Yuugi almost ripped the shower curtain out of the way so as not to block the rest of the bathroom from his site.

No one was in the room. He sighed. There was a knock on the door.

"Yuugi-chan?"

He gulped. "Y-yes, Hiroko-san?"

The door cracked open a bit. "I'm not coming in. I just thought you could use a towel when you're done."

Her smooth, slim hand slipped through the door and put a white towel on the sink. "It's just by the door when you need it."

"Thank you, Hiroko-san."

She closed the door and left. Yuugi sighed. He wrapped his arms around himself. _'Now I know why I hate bathtubs. They make me think about . . .'_

Instead of dwelling on such a horrible memory, Yuugi sat in the water and didn't submerge himself again. The water was now almost cold, so Yuugi decided to step out. He unplugged the tub and walked over to the sink. He wouldn't dare look at his reflection. He felt too much shame right now to see his face.

He grabbed the towel and dried off with it. But when he bent over to pick up his clothes, Yuugi saw they were still wet. How could he wear wet clothes after promising Yami he wouldn't get sick? What would he do now?

--

The newly cleaned Yami stepped out of his bedroom dressed in a pair of casual clothes. A baggy black shirt adorned his torso while black sweatpants covered his legs.

He stood in front of the bathroom and pondered for a moment. _'Yuugi's been in there for quiet a while. I wonder if he's all right.'_

Yami gently knocked on the door. "Yuugi? You didn't fall asleep in there did you?"

The boy cleared his throat. "No, I'm finished in the tub. But um . . . could you come in here for a minute?"

Yami slowly opened the door and walked inside. "What's wrong?" He closed the door and waited for Yuugi's answer.

"Well . . . my clothes are wet and . . . I don't really have anything else to wear." Yuugi blushed a bit from embarrassment.

Yami chuckled. "Oh, I see. Well follow me. I'm sure I'll have something for you to wear."

The door opened again and the two boys left the bathroom. Yuugi walked in step with Yami, keeping his eyes down. He was rather self-conscious and very aware that he would be wearing Yami's clothing. But did that also mean he would be wearing Yami's . . .

Of course it would. As soon as they stepped inside, Yami had closed the door and tossed Yuugi and unopened package of plaid boxers.

"Don't worry. I haven't worn any of them yet. You can have them if they fit you."

Yuugi blushed. Did his boyfriend just give him underwear? Yami walked over to his dresser. From the top drawer, he pulled out a pair of red pajama pants and a matching button up shirt. He tossed them to Yuugi. "You can wear these for now."

Yami turned around and closed his eyes. "It's ok. You can dress. I won't look."

Yuugi bit his lip. At first, he didn't respond. Yami wouldn't . . . no, of course he wouldn't. "'kay."

Yuugi let the towel drop to the floor and opened the package. He slipped on one pair of boxers and pulled the red flannel pants over his legs. When the shirt was buttoned up, he told Yami he was finished.

The teen turned around to give the boy a crooked smile. The couple sat on Yami's bed in silence for a moment. Finally, the question Yuugi had been dreading almost the entire night had been asked.

"Yuugi, you mentioned someone earlier. Someone you said I wasn't like. Tell me . . . who's Keith?"

Yuugi averted his eyes to the floor and slouched a bit. "I guess it's time I told you about him."

The boy took a deep breath to calm his nerves and he began his story.

"For two years of my life, my stepfather had prostituted both Mai and myself."

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Masami: CUT!

Yuugi: (sigh)

Yami: Damn it! I wanted to know what was going to happen!

Masami: Well you would have known if you had read the script!

Yami: Well shut up!

Masami: That's right!

Yuugi: (rolls eyes) Come on, Yami! Let's go home!

Seto and Jou: (still making out)

Masami: n.n

REVIEW!

I called it Cinderella because I couldn't figure out what to name this chapter. I asked a friend of mine and after telling her what it's about; she said to name it Cinderella. She said Mai reminded her of the evil stepsisters. I don't own Cinderella by the way.


	10. Keith, Part One

Masami: Ok! Let's get started! Places! Kujaku! Enough make up! You too Yami! Focus on your characters!

Yami: Fine! (sits on bed beside Yuugi) Ready, aibou?

Yuugi: Yup!

Masami: So am I! Ok! Lights!

(The Lights turn on)

Masami: Damion are you ready with the camera?

Damion: . . . I've been ready for ten minutes.

Masami: Overachieving! That's what I like! And . . . Roll camera! ACTION!

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Chapter Ten: Keith, part one

_Monday Night (Continuing from last chapter)_

Yami was in shock. Had he heard Yuugi right? There was no way! But . . . Yuugi sure didn't seem to be joking about it.

"My father died when I was only seven years old. My mother had taken care of me just fine. But . . . then she met Juro, Mai's father. They started dating a year after my father died. He was really nice to me at first. He had become a second father in a way." Yuugi sighed. "But then, my mother died in a car accident when I was ten."

The shorter leaned against the back wall and closed his eyes. "I remember that day so well."

Yami turned so he could see Yuugi more clearly. He was almost expecting Yuugi to burst out laughing and say 'I got you!' But this kind of situation was nothing to laugh at. Yuugi opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "Two weeks after my mother died, Juro started abusing me. Apparently, he was already abusing Mai. She just never told anyone. He would have killed her if she did. He said the same to me so I kept quiet about it.

On my twelfth birthday, Juro said Mai and I were going out. He told us to wait at the corner of a street for a 'chaperone'. And we did just as we were told. We waited under a street lamp for a few minutes before a car rolled up.

I remember exactly what he looked like. I remember just what he sounded like, even to this day. I remember everything about him but I never knew his name. That's the only thing I didn't know about him. And then . . . when he looked at me . . ." Yuugi shuddered. "Those eyes . . . I swear I'll never forget them." He wiped away a tear and continued. "The man rolled down his window and told me to get into his car. I asked about Mai and he said someone else would come and get her later. So I got in."

Yami wanted so badly to hold his boyfriend in his arms and erase these memories from his mind. But he needed to know. And he sensed Yuugi needed to tell someone. This was better for both of them.

"At first, he didn't do anything. We drove to an old building that had been condemned for sometime and he parked in the parking lot. During the drive there, he asked me what my name was. I told him with out even thinking about it. After all, what harm could it do? Finally, when he parked the car, he crawled into the back seat. And . . . he . . ." Yuugi's voice had started to slow down and become quiet. When he carried off, he was silent. He couldn't speak, and his breathing had quickened ever so slightly.

Yami sniffed. He too had started to cry. "It's ok, Yuugi. You don't have to tell me what he did."

Yuugi shook his head and rubbed the sleeve of his pajamas against his eyes. "No. I want to. I'm sorry but I have to tell someone. I can't live with it any more."

Yami nodded and let him continue.

"That man crawled on top of me and . . . said, 'I can't wait to have you. And when I'm finished, I'll see about having that little girl you were with. Virgins are always the best.' That's when he raped me."

Yuugi took a deep, shuddering breath. "Th-that was the first time I had ever been with anybody, willingly or not. He . . . was the first person who had touched me like that. And I hated him for it. I was too young to know what it really meant, but it hurt so much. He didn't care how much I begged for him to stop. He just kept going.

After he finished with me, He stuffed some money in my pocket and shoved me out of the car. When he drove away, I didn't get up. I just lay on the cement, hoping I would die. I was in so much pain I couldn't even breathe with out it hurting.

He broke two ribs and sprained both my wrists so I couldn't fight him. He didn't bother to try and be gentle. He just . . . he . . ."

Yuugi clenched his eyes shut and started to cry. He had been holding it back rather well, but Yami could see how badly he needed to let it all out.

"Oh, Yuugi." Yami moved to circle his arms around the boy but Yuugi protested. He violently shook his head. "Please. Not now. I just . . . I want to finish."

Yami sat back a bit and nodded. "It's ok, Yuugi. You can finish."

Yuugi thanked him and took a moment to gather himself again. "After a few hours, Juro picked me up. Mai was in the car . . . and I knew she had been raped too. She begged for forgiveness and said she wouldn't let it happen ever again. But I knew it was going to.

Even though we're the same age, Mai always acted like she was older then she really was. I knew it was just a cover up for her true emotions, but she was someone in my life I could look up to and believe in.

Juro sure as hell wasn't trustworthy. He kept on selling us on the street and beating us over and over. But he had never raped us. No matter how severe the beatings or how drunk he got; Juro never touched us like that. He left that to the customers.

He actually told Mai the reason why he never touched us. I heard him through the wall. He said, 'I never fuck you two because you're too disgusting even for the dogs to eat. Why do you think I let _them_ do it?' He almost killed Mai that night. She always defied him and said 'no' to him. He hated her so much because of that.

I always obeyed. I was just too scared of him to stand up for myself. It was terrifying to see him angry. I couldn't take it so I just did as I was told.

Day after day it went on like that. Or, at least until a week after my fourteenth birthday. That's when it seemed like I had met with my savior. His name was Keith. That's all he ever told me, but I heard his last name was Howard or something. Anyway, Keith met me on the street. He wasn't a customer and I wasn't waiting for one. I was just out walking to try and clear my head.

We were friends instantly. Keith and I had so much in common. Whenever I had the chance to, I would sneak out of the house just to be with him. I thought maybe I was in love with him. But it wasn't love. More like . . . an infatuation. Keith was so strong and brave. He stood up for me once when someone tried to take the money I got from a customer.

At some point, he found out about the beatings and the rape. Keith swore he would save us from Juro. And after that, he said, we could be together forever. I had never felt more excited. A lifetime with Keith sounded like winning first prize at a game show or something.

One day, he stormed into our house and found Juro lying on the couch, drunk as usual. He grabbed a knife and slit Juro's throat just as I was coming downstairs to try and sneak something to eat. I knew he was waiting for me to see Juro die, but I didn't care.

Keith took us to his house where he said we would be safe. Only it was an ambush. Keith runs a gang in Nagano. They're known sex offenders and murderers. But we didn't know. Not until Keith raped me. And then he raped Mai. Then the other guys in his gang raped us. But Keith would always come after me. He wouldn't leave me alone.

Finally, when they stopped, Mai called the police and Keith and his gang were arrested. We were taken to an orphanage after the court case was settled. But we weren't exactly accepted there. The other kids made fun of us and sometimes they would beat me up.

When the man that ran the place tried to attack me, the state decided we could live on our own. They donated clothes, money, and found us a place to live in another city."

Yami knew Yuugi was finished. By the end of it, both boys were in tears. Yami couldn't hold back any more. He wrapped his arms around Yuugi in a tight embrace and wouldn't let go.

"Oh Yuugi, I'm so sorry! I had no idea!" He sobbed a few times. "I understand now. I know why you were so scared all those times. And Mai . . . God, if I had known I would have protected you better then I had! I'm so sorry!"

Yuugi shook his head. "No, it's not your fault. It's mine. I didn't want to tell you at first. When I snuck out of the house to see Keith, Juro would find out I left and beat Mai. That's why I said I had betrayed her before. I knew what Juro was like but I didn't care. I just left with out a single thought. I'm just not loyal enough to what's really important."

Yami rubbed Yuugi's back. "You _are_ loyal enough. There aren't enough people like you in the world, Yuugi. You're the kindest person I've ever known and your heart is so pure. Juro was wrong. You're beautiful. You're not disgusting. He's a monster for what he did to you. It's sick! And for you to go through it at such a young age? It's all wrong. I'm so sorry."

The couple sat there for a while, crying. Some of Yuugi's tears were of happiness. He finally got his past out in the open and didn't have to worry about it any more. But most were just from the pain of remembering it.

They cried for so long in each other's arms. But their tears slowed down. Yami had gathered his composure and held Yuugi's shoulders. "Yuugi, you know I would _never ever _hurt you like that. I love you. I know I've never said it before, but I do love you. You're the most important person in my life. I swear I'll protect you. I won't let any one hurt you."

Yuugi nodded. "I know. That's why I said you're not like Keith. But you know what? There's another reason why you're not like him. When I told Keith about Juro, he didn't cry."

Yami cupped Yuugi's cheek. He wiped the tearstains clean and held Yuugi's face. "I know it's hard to get through something as horrible as that. But you know I'm always here for you. My feelings for you will never change. I'll always love you, Yuugi."

"I love you too, Yami. Forever."

He slowly leaned in. Yuugi felt his eyelids droop, but before they closed, he had one final thing to say. "Something Keith also never did . . . was kiss me and mean it. If you really do love me and you really do mean it . . . just kiss me, Yami. Show me you love me. Please . . . just kiss me."

Yuugi planted his lips on Yami's and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck. Yami entangled his fingers with Yuugi's hair and pushed him into the kiss. Hesitantly, the teen asked for entrance into the boy's mouth.

When Yuugi felt Yami's tongue licking his bottom lip, he immediately opened his mouth. A hot, wet muscle slipped inside and started licking the wet cavern. Yuugi moaned as, for the first time, he tasted Yami's spicy sweet essence.

Yuugi smiled into the soulful kiss. He could tell Yami truly did love him. He felt a single tear trail down his cheek. He finally found someone who loved him. Both boys were so into the kiss, they didn't hear the door open. "Oh you youngins! In my day we never made out like that!"

Yuugi gasped and turned his back to Hiroko. He covered his tomato colored face and squeaked. "Sorry, Yuugi-chan. I'm just here for Yami's laundry."

Hiroko's son growled and pointed to a soggy pile of clothes by the door. She picked them up and walked out, whispering another apology. Yami quickly turned to Yuugi, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. "Yuugi, are you all right?"

The boy slowly turned around. He revealed his face and stuck out his tongue at Yami. Yuugi burst out laughing at the face his boyfriend made. Soon, Yami joined in his laughter as well. It soon died down at Yami returned to a more serious tone. "Yuugi, I'm sorry. Did I go too fast? I wasn't trying to take advantage of you."

He smiled. "I know. It's ok. I've wanted you to kiss me for so long. I love you so much, Yami."

"I love you too." Yami quickly pecked him on the lips. "Now let's get some rest. We've still got school tomorrow if you're up to it."

Yuugi nodded. "I'm ok now that I've gotten it out in the open. And I'm glad you haven't turned away from me, Yami. I hope we'll always be together."

Yami smiled. "We will."

Together, they lay down in Yami's bed. The owner of the bed wrapped his arms around Yuugi and held him tightly against his body. They fell asleep waiting for each other in peaceful dreams.

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Masami: CUT! That's a wrap!

Damion: Is it just me or is this one a lot shorter?

Masami: Hey! It's 2287 words. That's not that short, right Yuugi-chan?

Yuugi: (still asleep)

Masami: n.n kawaii!

Yami: (still asleep) (snores)

Masami: O.o . . . n.n kawaii!

Damion: -.- (goes to editing room)

REVIEW!

Review Reply: Tahna: Thanks for reviewing oneechan! I hope I pumped it fast enough for you! ……XD that's so dirty! I'm glad you like my story. I hope this chapter was satisfactory . . . sexually, that is. XD ja ne!


	11. You Should Be Happy

Masami: Okay, let's get started on Act XI

Yuugi: (frowns) I don't like this Act

Masami: hey neither do I! I had to write that scene at the end! (gags)

Yami: …I hate you

Masami: well, let's get this over with! PLACES!

(Everyone gets into their places)

Masami: Lights, Camera!...ready Damion?

Damion: Yes, already! Just go!

Masami: ok! ACTION!

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Chapter Eleven: You Should Be Happy

_Tuesday_

Yuugi smiled as he and Yami left for school. Yami lived a bit closer to the school then Yuugi did so it didn't take too long to arrive at Domino High. This day, Yuugi felt a little more worried and uneasy then other days. He had completely exposed his secret past to Yami. Sure he wasn't disgusted and of course he wouldn't say anything to anyone. But what did Yami really feel about it? Was he ashamed? Did he perhaps feel the same as Juro? Did he think Yuugi was disgusting?

Yuugi tried not to think about it too much. He loved Yami and trusted him with all his heart. He would just have to tough it out. Even if his relationship was a lie, Yuugi didn't care. He just wanted to be with some one.

"Hey! Yami! Yuugi-kun!" It was Jounouchi and Seto. "Hold on!"

They caught up to them and walked the rest of the way with the couple, who were holding hands the entire time. Seto smiled. "So what's . . . Yuugi, what happened to your face?"

Yuugi smiled bitterly. "Mai hit me." Jou stopped walking. "WHAT!"

Yami held up his hand. "Jou, please. It's-" The shortest shook his head. "It's ok, Yami. We can tell them."

Yuugi let go of Yami's hand and stood in front of Seto and Jou. "Last night, when we were leaving the restaurant, Mai saw Yami and me together. Yoshikuni was where she worked. Yami stayed with me and we waited for Mai to come home. She . . . she wasn't too happy with me. We all fought and . . . then she hit me and told me to leave. I'm not welcome with her any more."

Seto stood in shock, his jaw slack. "God . . . Yuugi I'm so sorry. I had no idea she worked there."

"I know. It's ok. I'm not mad at you. I didn't even know the name of where she worked." Yuugi mirthlessly laughed. "But it's ok. Yami let me stay with him."

Seto nodded. He looked at Yami and smiled. Yuugi turned around and grabbed Yami's hand again. "Let's get to school. We have that history paper due first thing."

Jou groaned as they started walking again. "Oh man! I totally forgot about it!"

"Jounouchi-kun you had a week to do it!" Yuugi laughed, this time it was filled with happiness. It was a real, genuine laugh.

--

Yuugi sighed as he slowly moped the floor. Mai wasn't at school today. She probably didn't want to see Yuugi ever again. Getting an education apparently wasn't more important. Or maybe she just dropped out of high school all together.

Yuugi hated to admit it, but today was one of the best days at school since he arrived in Domino City. He and Yami could sit together in every class they shared and not be worried if Mai would see them. Yuugi finally ate lunch with Yami and the others! It wasn't as stressful as school usually was.

But how could he say that? He knew it was only because Mai wasn't there today. The inner battle between Yami and Mai was still raging inside him. He couldn't pick whom to stay with.

He loved Yami with all his heart. How could he leave the only real lover he's ever had? But Mai was his sister. Sure, they weren't of the same blood, but she was Yuugi's sister all the same. He couldn't leave the only family he had left.

He turned his back to Yami and wiped away a stray tear. He took a silent deep breath and finished his moping. "Yuugi, did we have homework in history today?"

He paused to swallow some saliva. He couldn't let his voice crack. "No, I don't think so."

They finished up and retrieved their books and shoes. The walk to Yami's home was rather silent. When they did talk, Yami made sure not to mention Mai. He knew Yuugi noticed her absence from school today. Yuugi wasn't this quiet unless something was bothering him. So it was better if her name was never mentioned, save for early that morning. They arrived at the Atemu residence and were greeted by Hiroko. "So what should we have for supper tonight, Yuugi-chan?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

Yami smiled. "It's a kind of tradition here. Whenever there's a guest over, they have to choose what we all eat for supper. And you can't repeat a meal unless there's leftovers."

"Yes, but with your father, I doubt there will be."

Kaneda glared. "Are you calling me fat?"

"No, of course not! You just like to eat that's all." Hiroko turned back to Yuugi. "So? What's on the menu?"

Yuugi paused. He had no idea! It was harder to choose because everyone was looking at him. So he said the first thing that came out of his mouth. "Curry rice?"

Hiroko smiled. "Excellent choice. Yami-chan, show him around the kitchen and call us if you need anything."

Yami nodded. He and Yuugi left the entrance and walked into a clean, organized and warm kitchen. "There's another part of the tradition. Since you're my guest, you and I have to make it. Hope you don't mind."

Yuugi smiled. "Not at all! I would love to cook with you."

"Then let's get started."

--

Both boys changed into their pajamas and retired to Yami's bedroom after finishing their homework. Hiroko wished them a good night and left them alone. Yuugi threw himself onto Yami's bed. "I'm exhausted. Today was longer then I thought."

Yami sat down beside him. "Yuugi, are you sure you're ok? If you want to talk you know I'm here for you."

He kept his eyes closed and smiled. "Stop worrying. I'm fine, really. I'm just worried about Mai. I hope she's ok."

Yami stared sympathetically at Yuugi. _'After everything Mai put him through, Yuugi still cares for her.'_

He smiled. "Mai is a strong woman. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Yuugi nodded. He sat up and wrapped his arms around Yami. "Thank you so much Yami. If it weren't for you, I'd be living on the streets. I'm really grateful to you."

The teen smiled and kissed Yuugi's forehead. "Of course I'd let you stay with me. I love you, Yuugi. I couldn't let you have nowhere to go. Aside from being my boyfriend, you're also my friend. I wouldn't abandon you in your time of need."

Yuugi smiled and nuzzled Yami's cheek with his nose. "I wish I knew of someway I could repay you."

The teen cupped Yuugi's cheek and stared deeply into his eyes. "Just because someone does something nice doesn't mean you always have to repay them. I don't want anything from you. I just want you to be safe and happy."

Yuugi turned away from his touch and sat away from him a bit. "Don't use that line on me too often . . . okay?"

"Why not?" Yami frowned. "It's the truth. That's really how I feel."

He nodded. "I know. And I believe you. It's just . . . every time some one said that to me, I always got hurt. I know you won't hurt me. It just . . . I get nervous."

He held Yuugi's face again. "You don't have to be afraid. Everything will be all right." Yami noticed pain lacing Yuugi's eyes. "It's ok. You can cry if you need to. I won't be mad at you."

Yuugi shook his head. Yami sighed and kissed his forehead. "Yuugi, you've been through a lot. You can't keep such pain inside. You have to let it out. I'll always be there the take the pain away."

He nodded and rested his cheek against Yami's shoulder. "I know. I just don't want to burden you."

Yami shook his head and rubbed Yuugi's back. "You're not. I want to help you be happy and nothing you can ever ask for is a burden. If you want to be happy then I swear I will make you happy."

Yuugi was quietly sniffing. He still couldn't let it go. Yami could feel Yuugi tense up. All his muscles were stiff and he was whimpering. "Yami, I don't want it to hurt anymore. I _do_ want to be happy."

He nodded. "You _should_ be happy. But the only way is just to let it all out. All your anger and all your pain. Just let it out."

Yuugi burst into tears. He couldn't hold back anymore. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair, pulling and screaming. The inner pain he felt was just too much. Mai abandoning him, doubting everything in his life, it was all too overwhelming. He had to let it out.

Yami grabbed Yuugi's wrists and tried to pull them away from his head. "Yuugi, listen to me. Please, Yuugi!"

He started screaming and it seemed nothing would stop him. Yami was worried that Yuugi would wake up his parents because he was being so loud. He had no choice but to silence Yuugi with a kiss. The boy protested, still blinded by anger and pain. But once Yami's tongue entered his mouth, he stopped. At first, Yuugi wasn't sure of what to do. Should he fight back? Or should he just go along with it?

The hands that tightly held his wrists let go and arms encircled his body pulling him close. The comfort he received pushed him in the right direction: He would go along with it.

Yuugi wrapped his arms around Yami's neck and pulled himself closer. He moaned a bit as Yami's delicious, spicy flavor consumed his mouth. They were so into the kiss that Yami couldn't hold back. He gently pushed Yuugi down on the bed and lay on top of him, never breaking the kiss. His arms were now on either side of Yuugi's head, pinning the boy's arms to the pillow.

Soon Yami's lips left his mouth and found Yuugi's neck. Yami found a spot on his soft flesh that made him moan. He didn't know it, but that spot also had a scar. Yuugi remembered getting it from Keith the first time he was raped by the gang leader. With each lick and nibble, more painful memories were brought back. "Yami, stop. Not there." He pushed Yami away from his neck.

Yami was ashamed of himself. How could he do that to Yuugi! He immediately got off the boy and simply lay beside him. "I'm so sorry, Yuugi. I'll stop. I won't ever-"

Yuugi suddenly climbed on top of him and straddled his waist. "If you're gonna stop then it's my turn."

Yami stared at him in shock. "Yuugi!" He whispered.

"What's wrong love?" He slowly lowered himself on top of Yami. "Don't you want to finish what you started?"

Yami blushed. _'Does Yuugi really want to . . .? I mean . . .'_

"Yuugi, are you sure?"

He seductively smirked and looked at Yami through half lidded eyes. He nodded and captured Yami's lips before the teen could say a word. Yuugi skillfully traced the alphabet onto the roof of his mouth. (1)

Yami was completely bewildered. He never knew Yuugi would be so dominant. It was strange how the boy had suddenly changed from shy and unsure to ready and willing. Maybe they shouldn't be doing this. It wasn't right.

Yami grabbed the boy's shoulders when Yuugi started unbuttoning his shirt. "Yuugi . . ."

The boy pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh . . . it's ok. I'll go slow." He sat up and looked down at Yami with a mischievous look in his eyes. While slowly undoing the drawstring to Yami's pajama pants, he said, "All though, if you really don't want this . . . You may punish me how ever you want to Yami-sama."

Yami gasped. "Yuugi." He sat up and forced Yuugi off of him, but gently. "Yuugi we can't do this. It's not right."

Yuugi shook his head. He realized what he almost did and turned his gaze to the carpet. "I'm sorry. I'm just used to . . . well, you know."

He nodded. "It's ok."

Yami buttoned up his shirt, tried his drawstring together and the two lay in bed. It wasn't long until Yami fell asleep without saying another word. Yuugi on the other hand, did not fall asleep. He couldn't stop thinking about what he almost did! _'Juro was right. I can't stop. It's like . . . I'm addicted to it.'_

Yuugi lay in his lover's arms, letting tears fall sideways down his face. By the time the sun rose, a small wet spot had spread on the pillow. He dried his eyes and turned the pillow over so Yami wouldn't get suspicious.

XxX

_Wednesday_

The next day, Yami held Yuugi's hand again as they walked to school. However, neither said a word to each other. Yuugi was worried that maybe Yami was starting to hate him or think he was disgusting. So when Jounouchi and Seto joined them again, Yuugi pulled his hand away. Yami, however, was completely involved with his thoughts to even notice. He couldn't get his mind off what happened last night.

_'How could I have kissed him like that? I had no right to do that! And then . . . when Yuugi was on top of me . . . Oh, his eyes. They were filled with hunger and lust. But I don't think Yuugi feels lust for me. Was that how Juro taught Yuugi to act with his . . . costumers?'_

During the classes they had together, Yami would steal quick glances at Yuugi from the corner of his eye. He was trying to read Yuugi from the way he sat or walked.

From the boy's body language alone, Yami could tell Yuugi was ashamed of his actions. But really, Yuugi shouldn't be ashamed. He was put through so much in his life. It doesn't mean Yami expected sex from him. That would wait until they were older and more mature. He wasn't sure when that would be, but it would have to wait.

Yami imagined that Juro forced Yuugi to act a certain way towards his costumers. Perhaps saying '-sama' was a submissive way of showing they were superior. Maybe Yuugi would be . . . "punished" through sex if he did something wrong.

But everything he did last night (not only was it obviously practiced) seemed to be seducing Yami. Every move he made was slow and gentle. Even though Yuugi was on top, he still acted subservient; catering to Yami's every wish. If they had continued, Yami was sure Yuugi- _'NO! I won't allow myself to think of Yuugi like that! I refuse! It's wrong!'_

He immediately shook the thought out of his head and wouldn't let it reenter. The rest of the day between Yami and Yuugi was very quiet and dull. The two barely spoke a word to each other no matter how badly they wanted to. They made sure to not talk about last night, above all things.

--

Hiroko smiled as she heard the boys walk inside. Just as she greeted them, she noticed a strange air about the two. Something was off. While Yuugi was cutting up the chicken for yakitori, Hiroko pulled Yami off to the side. "Yami-chan is everything all right between you and Yuugi-chan?"

He nodded. "Yuugi and I got into a little . . . fight last night. I suppose we haven't gotten over it yet."

Hiroko smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, if you still want to have a relationship with him by this Friday, I suggest you apologize."

"Why this Friday?"

She was in shock. Didn't her son know what this Friday was! "Yami-chan, this Friday is the school festival!"

Yami blinked. "Oh yeah. I forgot! Thanks Kaasan!" He ran back into the kitchen and smiled at Yuugi. Yuugi's brow wrinkled. What was he so happy about?

--

That night, after they finished their homework and their supper, Yami sat down with Yuugi. They had to get over this. Their relationship wouldn't survive if there were no communication.

Yuugi refused to make eye contact. How could he look into the eyes he loved so much and not feel shame after what he did? But Yuugi also refused to cry. He wanted to, but he couldn't. This time, Yuugi would be strong. He had to be.

Yami sat down beside Yuugi. He wrapped his arms around the boy and pressed him gently against his chest. "Yuugi, I know you felt ashamed about last night. But it's ok. I know you were remembering your past and you just . . . you were caught up in the moment. I had no right to kiss you like I did and I'm sorry. But please, don't feel like it's your fault. You did nothing wrong."

Yuugi closed his eyes. He nodded against Yami's chest and pressed his hands to the teen's pecks. Under his right hand, Yuugi could feel Yami's gentle heartbeat. He could also hear it since his ear was so close to it.

Yuugi smiled. He snuggled closer to the soft beating and sighed. "I love you, Yami. I won't do that ever again."

Yami nodded and held him tightly. "I know. I love you too."

He kissed Yuugi's forehead and rubbed his back. They stayed in the embrace until Yuugi was lulled to sleep from the soothing touches Yami gave him and from his boyfriend's steady, almost hypnotizing heartbeat.

Yami tucked him in and lay down beside him, holding him close. "Sleep well, Yuugi."

The silence of the bedroom was deafening. It's as if nothing existed whatsoever. But Yami was content with lying in bed with his lover. There was of course the tiniest noise of Yuugi breathing. Yami stared down at him smiling. He was just so cute. And as he stared, his thoughts led him back to only the other night when Yuugi had confessed his past. There was so much pain in his beautiful face.

Yami couldn't even imagine what Mai had felt. She lived with Juro even longer then Yuugi did. _'That must be why she's so angry and violent. All she knows is violence and anger because of her father and how she was brought up. Mai just knows to act out with violence. But then again, she also feels compassion and love. I hope she's all right as well.'_

Yami sighed and closed his eyes.

XxX

_Still Wednesday_

The boss stood up and everyone became silent.

"It seems Ushio has been leading you all well while I was gone." The boys cheered and he quieted them down again. "However, there is still one personal matter that needs to be resolved. I need you all to find out where Yuugi lives. I went by his apartment two days ago and he wasn't there. I want his knew address by tomorrow. We're ending this by Friday."

Most of the gang was confused. Why would their boss be after the shrimp they always beat up? But they weren't about to ask questions so they started work immediately. "Why get them to do it? We could easily find Yuugi ourselves. Or perhaps you're doubting our abilities."

The boss sat down again and laughed. "Trust me, Marik, I know what the both of us are capable of. But I want these guys to find him for us. We can't go around looking for the boy. If he sees us before we see him, he'll get the cops just like his bitch of a stepsister did. We can't let anyone know we're here."

Marik scoffed and sat across from him. "That's hardly an excuse, Keith. We never used to fear the cops so why now?"

"I'm not afraid of the cops and I never run away. I'm just playing it safe. You want Yuugi back don't you? Well how can we get him if we get caught?" He said. "Now, let's sit back and wait for those idiots to return."

Keith spread his legs and closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, Marik had kneeled on the floor between his legs and started massaging his chest underneath his shirt.

Marik looked on Keith with sympathy. "This whole thing with Yuugi has really got you stressed, huh?"

He moaned. "Oh you have no idea."

"You're so stiff." Marik started unzipping Keith's pants. "Well, not yet."

Keith kept his eyes closed as Marik took him into his mouth. He imagined Yuugi was really the one doing this and he couldn't wait for the real thing. He couldn't wait for Friday.

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Masami: CUT! Thanks everyone that's a wrap.

Yuugi: (sees Marik and Keith) x.x

Yami: Hey! What was that about!

Masami: they aren't together! Don't you read anything anymore? I gave you a whole history of Keith's gang!

Yami: . . . (silence)

Masami: -.- Fine. Keith's gang members were sex offenders. But when they weren't raping someone (cough) Yuugi! (cough) they would have sex with each other. But IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT KEITH AND MARIK ARE TOGETHER! THEY AREN'T! They've just done it with each other before. That's all.

Yami: . . . (silence)

Masami: -.- just go home

Damion: (already went to editing room)

REVIEW! (sorry to any Yami Marik fans! . . . and Keith fans, I guess. Marik and Keith are not together! They just have sex sometimes but they don't love each other. That would be just plain weird. That's the only mention of them doing it I promise! Please keep reading my story! . . . I love you!)

Sorry again to all readers. I know that was gross, it was gross to me just writing it! But well……………yeah……..

(1) Yuugi is using the English alphabet. I know he probably doesn't know it, but it's my story!


	12. Friday

Masami: Ok everyone places! Let's get this one started!

(everyone goes into their places)

Masami: Lights, Camera…..ACTION!

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Duel Twelve: Friday

_Thursday_

Yuugi sighed. "I hate being so short."

He was forced to go on his tiptoes but he still couldn't reach the top shelf of his locker. Yami had put Yuugi's shoes up there just before they left for lunch but now he couldn't get to them. He told Yami to just wait outside for him but by now, Yuugi was sure Yami was starting to become impatient. Yuugi jumped as high as he could but he still couldn't reach them.

A hand reached above his, grabbed both his shoes and pulled them off the shelf. Yuugi turned around to thank who ever helped him. But then he realized who that boy was. He grinned. "Here. Your shoes."

Yuugi hesitantly took them and bowed. "T-thank you."

"Minawa Akira's the name. But I know who you are all ready. Motou Yuugi, right?"

The shorter bit his lip and nodded. _'Why is he being so nice to me all of a sudden? Isn't he a friend of Ushio?'_

Akira smiled. "So anyway, I've heard this rumor around school that you don't live with Kujaku anymore."

Yuugi's eyes widened. "Y-you know? Why is there a rumor?"

"So it is true. Well, where do you live now? I know a great place to live if you don't have anywhere to go." Akira grabbed his hand. He gulped. _'Yami! Help me!'_

"So? Do you have a place to live or not?" Akira probed further, tightening his grip.

Yuugi nodded. "I . . . I-"

"YUUGI!" They looked to the left and saw Yami standing there. Yuugi looked at him with happy and desperate eyes. The way Akira talked was really scaring him. Yami charged forward and separated the two. He glared at the tall bully. "What do you think you're doing!"

Akira smirked. "I was just talking with my new friend. But it's ok. I think I found my answer." He turned around and walked away. Yami waited until Akira was all the way down the hall and turned to the right before he asked Yuugi if he was all right. Yuugi hugged his shoes close to his body. "I'm ok. Thanks to you."

Yami smiled and nodded. "What was he talking to you about?"

"He kept asking me questions about where I live." Yuugi sighed. "He said there was a rumor that I don't live with Mai anymore."

The teen snorted. "I doubt that somehow. No offence Yuugi, but I really doubt that anyone would be interested in where you live."

Yuugi nodded. "Yeah, well, he was pretty interested."

Yami frowned. Yuugi turned his back to Yami to continue putting his things away. While the boy wasn't looking, Yami made sure no one else was going to bother them. He sighed quietly. _'It looks like Ushio is going to make a move after all. I have to keep a closer eye on Yuugi as well. I can't let them hurt him.' _Yami smiled once Yuugi closed his locker and turned around. "Let's go home." Yuugi gladly agreed and they left the school.

All the while, Yami kept his guard up. He held Yuugi's hand to keep him close. But he hardly looked at the boy. He was too busy inspecting the streets and alleys for suspicious people. He did stay by Yuugi's side, but for the boy it wasn't the same. Yuugi could sense how anxious Yami was. He could feel the teen's tense muscles just by holding his hand. He sighed. _'This is just like our first date. It's like he's expecting someone to jump out and attack us.'_

Yuugi wasn't sure if he should, but he had to ask. "Yami? Why are you so afraid?"

"Uh-" Yami looked at him in confusion. Yuugi's face is sad and confused as well. In his eyes, Yami could see a deep sense of worry. Yami sighed. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. Something's been bothering me for a while and I should have told you. But I don't want you to worry about it."

Yuugi tightened his grip on Yami's hand. "It's ok. You can tell me."

"Yeah. I guess you deserve to know." Yami pulled Yuugi straight up to his room, not even looking at his mother. They sat on the bed and Yami held both of his hands. "Yuugi, I don't want you to become too alarmed. Just know that I'll always protect you."

The boy nodded and smiled. "It's ok, Yami. I'll be fine."

He took a deep breath. "It was the day that you were going to start working for Kaiba. We were cleaning the halls but before you left, when he were just holding each other . . . Do you remember that flash of light?"

Yuugi thought for a moment. "Oh right. That was a while ago I almost forgot about it."

"Well I haven't." Yami tightened his grip on Yuugi's hand to brace him for the shock. "That wasn't the lights flickering. It was a camera. Someone took a picture of us."

Yuugi blinked. "What? Why would . . . Was it Ushio?" He whispered in fear.

"I don't know who took it. But I'm sure it was one of his friends. I'm sure he's going to try and use it against us somehow."

Yuugi nodded while saying, "That's what you were worried about. You think he'll . . ." He smiled. "Yami, it's ok. We can't let him control us. So what if he has a picture of us holding each other? What's the big deal? I think everybody knows we're together so that won't surprise anybody. I really don't think there's anything he _can_ do with that picture. I want to be with you and he won't change that."

Yami sighed. "You're right. He can't change our feelings. It's not really what I was worried about."

"I know. But you don't have to be afraid. We love each other and that's all that matters." Yuugi smiled.

He nodded. "Come on. Tousan is working late today so he'll want supper ready when he comes home."

Later on, as Yuugi was cutting up the potatoes for nikujaga, Yami decided now was the best time to ask him. "Yuugi, you know about the school festival on Friday right?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"I was thinking maybe-"

"Yuugi-chan! The phone is for you!" Hiroko called.

Yami blinked. "Who is it, kaasan?"

"Seto-san."

Yuugi smiled. "I'm coming."

He disappeared from the kitchen and took the phone from Hiroko. "Thank you, Hiroko-san."

Yuugi put the receiver to his ear. "Moshi Moshi."

_"Hey Yuugi. I'm really sorry, but I need you to watch Mokuba after school tomorrow. I have to go out of town on a business trip and I can't take him with me. Can you make it? I know there's a school festival and I'm sure Yami's going to kill me for this, but I really need your help."_

Yuugi smiled. "Of course, Seto-san. I can take care of him."

_"Are you sure? I know this is your first school festival."_

"It's ok. I don't mind. I'd be glad to help you out."

Seto sighed heavily in relief. _"Thank you so much, Yuugi. Tell Yami I'm really sorry. Ja ne!"_

"Ja ne, Seto-san."

He hung up the phone and turned around. Yuugi gasped in surprise when he saw Yami standing behind him. "You scared me."

The teen sighed. "Sorry. Let me guess. Kaiba needs you to look after Mokuba."

He nodded. "I'm sorry. But he really needed my help."

Yami smiled and patted Yuugi's head. "That's ok. It's no big deal." They returned to preparing the meal as if nothing had happened.

XxX

_Friday_

Yami was not looking forward to the end of school today. He had a really bad feeling that something wasn't right. Yami kept up his guard up a bit just in case something happened.

But they made it through the day without any trouble. It wasn't until he was saying goodbye to Yuugi that the feeling of apprehension reached its peak. "I'll stop by at home to get a house key just incase. And I might get some clothes in case I have to spend the night. Is that ok, Yami?"

He hesitated. "Yuugi . . . I don't have a problem with you staying over night if you have to. But . . . I don't know. I just have a terrible feeling that something very bad is going to happen today. I'm worried something might go wrong. I think I should escort you to-"

"Yuugi, are you ready to go?" Seto asked from around the corner.

"I'll be there in a minute!" Yuugi turned back to Yami and held his cheek for a moment. "Don't worry, Yami. Seto-san will drop me off at home and at his place. It'll be ok. I promise."

Yami bit the inside of his lip. _'I don't think it will be. I know something's wrong.'_

He had no choice but to bid Yuugi goodbye. Yami had to stay after school to help set up for the festival otherwise he would have gone with Yuugi. He watched Yuugi walk around the corner and another wave of fear washed over him. Yami raced around the corner and quickly caught up to Yuugi. "Yuugi wait!"

The boy turned around and smiled. "What?"

Yami held Yuugi's hands. He stared into Yuugi's bright curious eyes with concern and apprehension. He sighed. "Please, Yuugi, just be careful. I don't want you to be hurt."

Yuugi smiled. "I'll be fine, Yami. I promise."

He wrapped his arms around Yuugi's waist and held him close. "I love you, Yuugi. I really do."

"I love you too, Yami." They leaned in and shared a kiss. "Don't worry. It'll be ok."

He nodded. "I know."

"I'm really sorry, Yami." Seto impatiently interrupted. "I have to get going. And unless you want Yuugi to walk there I suggest you let us leave right now."

Yami glared at Seto before turning his gentle gaze back to Yuugi. "I love you. I'll see you soon, all right?"

He smiled. "Soon. I promise I'll be fine." Yuugi and Yami kissed once more before leaving each other's arms. "I love you." They whispered to each other.

Finally, Seto and Yuugi left. Yami watched the limo leave until he couldn't see it any more. "Be careful, Yuugi."

"Hey! Yami!" Jou grabbed his arm. "Come on! We need your help putting up the sign!" Yami nodded and followed his blonde friend, thoughts of Yuugi filling his head.

XxX

The limo reached Yami's house quicker then Yuugi thought. "We can't be too long, Yuugi. I have to get going soon so only take what's necessary." Yuugi nodded and opened the door. "Don't worry I won't take too much." He quickly entered the house.

"Hello Yuugi-chan! What's for supper?"

Yuugi stopped and bowed. "Sorry, Hiroko-san. Seto-san needs me to take care of Mokuba-kun. I'll have supper at his place and I might also be spending the night."

Yuugi ran upstairs only to get some pajamas and a change of clothing. He looked around Yami's room to see if there was a bag he could use. He didn't want to be much longer so he just carried it in his arms. Yuugi quickly ran downstairs but he was going too fast and lost his balance. He tumbled down the last few stairs and cried out in pain. Seto, Hiroko and Kaneda all ran to Yuugi.

"Are you all right, Yuugi-chan?" Hiroko asked.

He nodded. "I'm fine." Yuugi coughed a few times and rubbed his back as he sat up. "I'm just a little winded."

Seto kneeled in front of Yuugi. "Are you sure you're ok? Can you breath all right?"

He smiled and nodded. "Really, I'm fine, Seto-san. I just lost my balance. I'll be ok."

Yuugi stood up and gathered his clothing once more. He said goodbye to Hiroko and Kaneda and raced out the door. Seto sighed and shook his head. "Well, we're off then. Sorry about the rush." He shook Yami's parent's hand.

"It was nice seeing you again, Kaiba-san."

He nodded. "You as well, Hiroko-san. Good-"

"SETO-SAN!"

The CEO gasped. "YUUGI!"

He ran outside and looked around. To his left, he saw the clothes Yuugi wanted to bring with him were dropped to the ground. He ran over to them and called out Yuugi's name again, hoping to get a response. Between Yami's house and the house of the neighbor was a space that led to the back alley sitting just behind the backyards.

He stared down the gap in shock and fear. "Oh no."

Hiroko stood behind Seto. "What is it? Where's Yuugi-chan?"

"He's gone. Someone took Yuugi." He tightly gripped the white shirt with the red wave design in his hand. "Yami's going to kill me."

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Masami: CUT! Ok thanks everyone!

Yuugi: what's up, Masami? You seem distracted.

Masami: well, I'm in the process of directing another story. I'm posting it today and well, I guess I'm worried how it'll be accepted to readers.

Yuugi: I'm sure it'll be fine. You'll get lots of nice reviews from everyone and they'll love your story!

Masami: n.n thanks Yuugi-chan. Well, let's hope so. Ok everyone, go home! Ja ne!

REVIEW!


	13. Too Late

Masami: OK! Let's get started!

Marik: Mwahaha! My . . . second debut in this story!

Yami: (glare)

Yuugi: Do your best, Marik! You too, Yami-chan!

Yami: n.n

Masami: n.n PLACES!

(everyone took their places)

Masami: LIGHTS!...(the lights turn on) CAMERA!

Damion: (starts rolling the camera)

Masami:……………ACTION!

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Duel Thirteen: Too late

_Friday, continuing from last chapter_

Yuugi stepped out of the house with a smile on his face. When he was near the backseat door of Seto's limo, he felt arms wrap around his waist. "Hello, Yuugi. It's _so_ good to see you."

Yuugi immediately recognized the voice. He felt a hot wet tongue slide along his cheek. "SETO-SAN!"

He struggled against Marik's grip as much as he could. Marik covered his mouth and ran down the gap between the two houses. He had incredible speed even though he was carrying another person. It was still easy for him to run.

Marik was about half way to the gang's newest hideout when he decided he had waited long enough. He slammed Yuugi against the wall of an alley and grabbed the boy's slim wrists, holding them above his head. Marik took out a knife and held it to Yuugi's throat. The boy stopped moving completely. He whimpered when the cold steel was pressed against his skin.

"Yuugi, you were lucky last time. That bitch Mai tattled on us and the cops caught us. But we won't have to worry about her ever again." He grinned. "Keith made sure she can't stop us."

He gasped. "W-what did he do-"

Marik pressed a finger to Yuugi's lips. "Shh . . . don't worry about her." He caressed Yuugi's cheek. "God, you skin is so soft. You haven't changed one bit. But I wonder if you still taste as good as you used to."

Yuugi whimpered and turned his head to the right, clenching his eyes shut. The knife left his throat and was pressed against his cheek. More pressure was applied and Yuugi let his head be turned back to Marik. "Look at me, Yuugi."

He whimpered and opened his eyes. "Please . . . don't . . . not again." He pleaded weakly in an attempt to be freed. Marik chuckled. "Yuugi, do you really think begging will make me stop?"

Yuugi shook his head. He knew nothing would stop Marik.

"Then why do you bother? Resisting is pointless." He brushed away Yuugi's tears that had started to fall with his thumb. "But don't worry. It's been such a long time. I'll go easy on you. Just do what I tell you and even you will enjoy it."

Yuugi sobbed. He wanted so badly to scream for help. But . . .

Marik leaned forward. He gently nibbled on Yuugi's earlobe to get him a little excited. The boy whimpered. He hated that Marik still knew where all of his sensitive areas were. Marik stopped. His soft lips gently brushed against Yuugi's ear as he whispered certain instructions. Yuugi audibly gasped. Marik pulled back, anxious to see the look of fear and shock on Yuugi's face. He smirked as new tears started to over flow. "Please . . . Don't make me do that. Don't . . ."

Marik smirked. "Oh I'll make you do it. And you had better swallow all of it." Marik pressed the knife sharply against his throat. "'Cause if you don't, I'll make _sure_ you swallow this knife."

XxX

Yami tapped his foot impatiently. He rolled his eyes as no one at the Kaiba manor picked up the phone for the past thee rings. He thought that at least the butlers would pick up but- _"Moshi moshi."_

He spoke too soon. "Hey Mokuba-kun. Are Yuugi or Kaiba there?"

Yami could sense a confused pause. _"No. Yuugi-kun should at least be here by now, but nii-sama hasn't shown up either. He going to some corporate meeting so I'm pretty sure he's gone by now."_

Yami could feel his heartbeat being to quicken. "Yuugi isn't there yet?"

_"No. I-" _BEEP _"Oh, hold on, Yami. There's someone on the other line."_

He gasped. "No! Mokuba wait-"

The line went silent.

XxX

Mokuba pulled the cordless phone away from his ear so he didn't hear Yami tell him to stop. He pressed the button and lifted the receiver again. "Moshi Moshi."

_"Mokuba, listen very carefully."_

The child's lips curled into a smile. "Hey Nii-sama! How is your trip-"

_"Listen to me, Mokuba. I want you to lock the door and don't let anyone in."_

He blinked. "All right. But Seto, where's Yuugi-kun? How come he isn't here yet?" There wasn't an answer from Seto. "Yami sounded really scared just a second ago. Did something happen?"

There was an almost inaudible gasp. _"Is Yami on the other line?"_

"Yeah." He said.

Seto paused. _"Tell him to wait for me in front of the school. I'll see you later."_ Setohung up without another word. Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "What's gotten into him?" He connected to the other line. "Yami-kun? Are you still there?"

_"Mokuba! What's going on!"_

The child had to pull the phone away for a moment because of Yami's sudden shouting. He put the phone back to his ear. "I don't know. Seto wants you to meet him in front of the school. That's all I know."

There was a dial tone. Yami had hung up on him. "Of course no one tells the kid what's going on."

XxX

Yuugi whimpered faintly. He couldn't breath. Marik had put him through so much pain and reopened so many old wounds and memories. Yuugi's chest felt so tight. He didn't know how much of this he could take. Marik sighed and wiped the sweat off of his brow. He smiled and pulled the zipper of his pants back up. "You're never a disappointment, Yuugi."

He stood up and looked down at the boy. Marik's eyes narrowed. It seemed that Yuugi couldn't breath. In fact, it sounded as if he had stopped breathing all together. "Get up, Yuugi. You're embarrassing yourself."

But Yuugi didn't move. Marik wasn't even sure if the abused boy had ever heard him. He glared and sent a sharp kick in his side. "Get up!"

Yuugi was turned to his side from the force of the kick, but he still wouldn't stand. Marik became impatient. He picked the boy up and threw him over his shoulder. "I'll let Keith deal with you. I'm getting bored with you for now."

He carried Yuugi to his car and threw him in the backseat. Marik got into the driver's seat and drove towards his gang's new hangout. On the way, Marik would take occasional glances over his shoulder. He could see Yuugi's lips and fingernails starting to turn a grey-blue colour. He was squirming ever so slightly. It looked like he was trying to speak, but nothing was coming out.

What was going on with him? A loud honking sound turned Marik's attention over to his other shoulder. But there wasn't enough time to get out of the way of the semi truck.

XxX

Yami panicked. He and Kaiba looked everywhere for Yuugi. But there wasn't a single trace of him anywhere. _'I should have stayed with him. I could have protected him! I could have done something! I'm sorry Yuugi! Please don't hate me!'_

Yami could feel tears burning at his eyes. But he wouldn't let that stop him. Nothing would. Not until Yuugi was back with him, safely in his arms. Before Yami realized it, his feet had taken him to the park. Memories of his first date with Yuugi came flooding back. He remembered seeing the look in Yuugi's eyes when they sat on the bench and held each other. It sent such warmth through Yami's chest.

Yami stared down at the very bench they sat on that very night. His hands became tight fists as tears of rage spilled down his cheeks. "Why?" He asked himself out loud. "Why would someone take Yuugi? What did he ever do to deserve so much pain?"

The right pocket in his jacket started to shake as he heard the familiar ringing of his cell phone. He quickly whipped it out and pressed 'talk'. "Kaiba!"

_"It's me. Listen, I have Mai here with me. She needs to talk to you."_

Yami bit his lip. What would Mai say to him? Did she even know her stepbrother was missing? "Put her on, Jou."

There was a short silence before Mai's voice filled his ear. _"Atemu . . . listen to me. You and I both know Yuugi's been kidnapped. But I know who took him."_

Yami was in shock. Could she really know? It was difficult to tell, but it sounded as if Mai was in pain. _"His name is Keith Howard. When Yuugi and I lived in Nagano-"_

Yami interrupted her. "Yuugi told me what happened all ready. But why is Keith here?"

_"He wants Yuugi. He came to my apartment and was looking for Yuugi. But he wasn't there. Keith tried to beat it out of me but I wouldn't tell him. I guess he found out on his own."_

The teen could feel his entire body shaking. "Do you know where they are?"

_"No. But if I know Keith like I know I do, he would hide in the least obvious place." _She paused. _"When he held Yuugi and I captive, that was in his own apartment. No one in the building ever said a word about what they might have heard or seen. It would have to be something like that."_

"Do you know if he has any accomplices here?"

Mai was panting at this point. He heard Jou tell her to sit down and she sighed. _"In a minute, Katsuya. Look, I don't know who he knows here or where he could possibly be hiding. Just please. Find him. Find Yuugi. I know it may not seem like it but I still love him. He's my little brother."_

Yami nodded. "I know. He still loves you too. I promise I'll find him Mai."

_"Hurry. Don't waste any time! Yuugi may have told you about our past, but he's not fully aware of just how far Keith will go."_

"Right. Don't worry, Mai. I swear I'll find Yuugi."

They hung up without saying another word. Yami ran out of the park, jamming the cell phone into his pocket. _'The least obvious place, an apartment where no one would call the cops. How would I know where to look for that?'_ As he turned the corner, not quiet sure of where he was going, it started to rain. _'I'll find you, Yuugi. I swear I will!'_

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Masami: ok, look, before you start the yelling and throwing things at me, let me explain. I know it's super super short. BUT I had to end it here because I was really out of ideas of how to continue with this chapter. come on! I'm sure a lot of you have been there before. Besides, do you really want me to get writer's block on this story? I don't think so.


	14. Hospital

Yuugi: . . . Where's Masami?

Damion: (knocks on her dressing room door) Masami?

(Loud music blaring)

Damion: oh damn it, she's listening to Gackt again.

Seto: (sighs) (in unnecessarily loud voice) What? Yuugi's sick?

Masami: (bursts out of dressing room) WHAT? (sees he's fine) oh ok.

Damion: can we please get started?

Masami: Right! LIGHTS!...(lights turn on) CAMERA!

Damion: (rolls camera)

Masami: ACTION!

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Duel Fourteen: Hospital

_Wednesday - 12 days later_

The resonating beeping sound wouldn't stop. He wanted to go back to sleep so badly but that damn beeping wouldn't let him rest. He was slowly becoming aware of sounds around him. But his eyes were still closed. He didn't have the energy to open them just yet. He didn't have energy to do anything.

He felt like a thin cloth was covering his body as a blanket lat on top of him. There was a rather uncomfortable bed underneath him and a lumpy pillow under his head. Slowly, a new sound entered his ears.

_"How's he doing?" _The voice was familiar, but sounded distance and echoed. The words the person spoke were slurred because of this.

There was a heavy sigh. _"He hasn't changed since you left. I'm really scared, Jou. What's going to happen to him?"_

Who were they talking about? Was someone hurt? _"Nothing. He'll wake up and ask where you are and where he is. I'll bet you 500 yen (1) that's what's going to happen."_

A disheartened scoff. _"I only wish it were that simple."_

_"What makes you think it's not?" _A new voice had joined the conversation. This one sounded older, more mature.

_"You heard what the doctor said!"_ The anger in the man's voice would have made him flinch, if he could move. _"He could be in a coma for a long time! That means he might never wake up!"_

_"The doctor said he would wake up at any time. That doesn't mean it will be a long time." _The first voice said.

The mature voice was very stern, but was also comforting. _"Forget what the doctor said. Why do you doubt _him_? Why are you so sure he won't pull out of this?"_

_"I never said that!" _The voice was now desperate and scared. _"I'm afraid! I don't know what's going to happen and it scares the shit out of me! I just want him to be awake. I want to hold him in my arms and not be afraid of hurting him. The doctor said I can't move Yuugi or else . . . I might . . . pull something out."_

There was a still silence. He could feel eyes on him. Were they looking at him? Why? He wanted so badly to ask them, but he couldn't move his lips. He couldn't move at all. Why?

--

_Friday_

It was two days since he first heard the three men talking. Every now and then, someone else would come into the room and touch his body pulling on things, pushing, but being very gentle. He was glad they weren't trying to hurt him. Not like Marik.

The beeping suddenly increased a little. Voices were rushing all over, yelling commands and-

But the beeping slowed down again. The voices were much calmer now. After a few more minutes, they left and the familiar voices were back.

_"What happened to him?" _Inside, he smiled (or at least, he wanted to) at the motherly tone of a female's voice. The response was from the voice that never left him. _"Don't worry, Kaasan. He'll be ok. I don't know what happened but the doctors fixed it."_

Doctors . . . so he was in a hospital. He was the one who was hurt.

_"Hiroko-san you should really go home and get some sleep." _The more friendly voice spoke. He remembered this one being called Jou. And apparently, the motherly one is named Hiroko. It was a beautiful name . . .

_"I'm too worried. Yuugi-chan is like a son to me. And I know how important he is to you, Yami-chan."_

Yami . . . so many memories came back with just the mention of his name. He could remember everything. Maybe it wasn't such a good thing, but it was better then always asking questions he wouldn't know the answers to.

_"Kaasan, trust me. I'll worry enough for the both of us. Yuugi wouldn't want you to worry yourself sick. Neither of us. Don't worry about me I'll be ok. I'll take care of him and myself. I promise."_

There was a pause. He could tell Hiroko was debating whether or not to go, but she agreed. _"Call me the instant something comes up or whenever you want to come home, Yami-chan."_

He heard footsteps coming toward him. At least, he thought they were footsteps. Everything he heard was still really fuzzy. But his sense of touch wasn't as distorted. He could feel a soft, warm hand on his forehead, brushing away a few of his bangs. Then a pair of small, gentle lips pressed against his brow.

_"Come back to us soon, Yuugi-chan. Ok?"_

He would try. Just for her, and for the one he loved. Seto and Jou also left. They said it was late and Jou sounded really tired. Just what time was it?

Now it was only he and Yami left in the room. He felt his lover hold his hand and gently stroke him with his thumb. He felt an occasional slow, warm stream of air against the side of his face and he knew Yami was leaning against the bed.

_"Yuugi. I wish you would open your eyes. I want to apologize to you for letting this happen to you. I wish for a lot of things really. Every second you're asleep I think of twenty new things I wish I could change. But the past can't be changed. We can only make the future a better place by what we do in the present."_

He wanted so badly to respond, but his body was still immobile.

_"So please. Wake up soon so I can fix all of this. I want you to know that I love you. I really truly do. I want you to be awake so you can hear this. I want you to open your eyes."_

The grip on his hand tightened only slightly. It was still gentle, but also firm. _"Come on, Yuugi. Open your eyes. I know you can do it! The doctor said you could open your eyes any day now. Please . . . please wake up."_

Oh how he wanted to reply to what his lover was saying. He wanted so badly to open his eyes and look into Yami's crimson orbs. He wanted to kiss the teen's soft, delicious lips again, even if it was only one last time. He tried to will his body into action but nothing would happen. He couldn't even wiggle his fingers. He wanted to wake up.

XxX

_Tuesday_

Yami could hear a gentle tune being sung. He smiled. The song was so familiar. He slowly opened his eyes. Oh yes, he recognized it. It was the first slow song he and Yuugi danced to at the club. It was their song.

When his eyes focused, he saw a finger running along the side of his arm and down to the tip of his thumb. Someone was singing the lyrics to the song and it wasn't just the artist on the radio. He slowly looked up to see the most beautiful site he had ever witnessed. "Yuugi . . . you're awake."

The boy smiled weakly. He continued singing, his voice cracking every now and then from lack of use. He finished the song and exhaled. "I heard what you said, Yami. It's not your fault. You aren't to blame. Marik is the one that hurt me. He was the one that took me away and he's the reason I ended up in the hospital. You couldn't do anything about it no matter how hard you tried."

Yami smiled. Even with the oxygen mask on his face, Yuugi's words were clear as a bell and they rang in his heart forever. For the last week and a half he was terrified that Yuugi would somehow blame him for what happened. Now he could rest easy and be at peace . . . sort of.

"Yuugi, there's something you should know. I don't know if I should tell you. I don't know what kind of reaction you'll have and I don't want to agitate you." Yami said cautiously.

He smiled again, ignoring the pain in his face. "I don't care. Just tell me. I know you're here and that's all that matters."

Yami nodded. "All right." He took Yuugi's hand in his incase something went wrong and also for support if his smaller lover needed it. "Yuugi, when Marik was trying to kidnap you, a semi truck hit the car. That's the only reason you're here. Marik is dead. The crash was fatal to him." (2)

Yuugi sighed. "It would of happened sooner or later. I know that we all have to die. Besides, the past can't be changed."

The teen smiled. He felt tears well in his eyes. He cupped Yuugi's cheek and gently stroked it. "Yuugi, you have no idea how happy I am to see you awake right now. I was so scared you would leave me."

Yuugi feebly tried to raise his hand but stopped when a sharp stabbing twinge, shot up his arm. He yelped in pain and let his arm drop, only to cause more pain.

"Don't move, love. You'll only hurt yourself. Just take it easy." Yuugi had started panting a bit from the pain. The fingers of his good hand scrapped against the sheets searching for Yami's hand. The teen instantly entwined their fingers together and kissed the back of his lover's hand. "Take a deep breath. Calm down. I'm right here."

Yuugi slowly inhaled a few times and settled himself on the bed once more. He turned his head and looked into Yami's eyes. "What happened to me?" The crimson orbs he loved so very much were now filled with sorrow. "Love, please. Tell me what's wrong with me."

He paused. "It's nothing permanent, Yuugi. I swear. The doctor said you would be able to walk again. But . . . there was some damage to your spine. But remember, it's not permanent. It'll just take you a while to use your legs again. Your right arm is broken and you have a few broken ribs, as well as a bump on the head."

Yuugi sighed. "What happened in the accident? I can't really remember it too well."

"The semi hit the side of the car. I'm not sure exactly what happened because I didn't see it and their weren't very many witnesses. Thankfully, the truck driver was kind enough to call an ambulance and they brought you two here. When the doctors were looking through your pockets for any kind of ID, they found my phone number and called me immediately." Yami finished, a pleased tone in his voice during the last part.

Yuugi smiled. "I'm glad I always kept your number with me." He paused. "Yami? Did I . . . have to go through surgery?"

He nodded. "A little. They had to fix your spine or something. I'm not sure, but you do have a few stitches. It's nothing too serious, don't forget that, Yuugi. I swear you'll be ok in the end."

The boy nodded. "I believe you. Yami, is it ok if I go to sleep? I'm a little tired."

Yami paused. "I think so. I'm not sure, I'll have to talk to the doctor. They need to know you're awake, anyway."

He picked up the call button and pressed it. A few minutes later, a doctor and nurse entered with shock on their faces. "Well, well, well! Motou-san, it's good to see you up and about!"

Yuugi turned his head toward the door and smiled. "Masuyo-san!" He weakly cried out. "It's so good to see you again."

Masuyo smiled. "You as well, Motou-san. We were getting a little worried about you."

Yami had to stand off to the side while Masuyo and the nurse did a few tests to see how Yuugi was doing. The most they did was remove the oxygen mask since Yuugi was able to breath on his own. After words, he returned to Yuugi's side. "Masuyo-san, is it all right if Yuugi goes to sleep? He's really tired."

Masuyo stroked his chin. "I'm not sure. He has a concussion, which is why he was in the coma in the first place. If he did go back to sleep he might return to the unconscious state once more. So I think, for now, it's better if we keep him awake."

Yami's brow wrinkled in confusion. "But you said his head injury wasn't that bad."

"Yes, that's true. However, he was also in a coma for about eighteen days. I think it's best if we keep him awake." Masuyo said. His beeper went off and Masuyo said he would return in a few minutes. The nurse left with him.

Yuugi groaned. "Yami, I don't think I can stay awake. I'm so very tired."

Yami kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. You heard what he said. Please, you have to."

The boy blinked his eyes a few times trying to erase the sleepy feeling from them. "I'll try . . ."

Yami got up and walked over to the window. He opened it and took out his cell phone. He knew he wasn't supposed to have a cell phone in the hospital, but this was important. He flipped it open and dialed his home phone number. It rang twice before his father picked up. _"Yami?"_

He smiled. "Tousan, I have good news! Yuugi's awake."

_"Are you serious!" _His voice sounded a little bit further away. _"Hiroko! Yuugi's awake!"_

There was a little bit of rustling before his mother's voice filled his ear. _"Yami-chan is Yuugi-chan really awake!"_

Yami nodded even though he knew they couldn't see him. "Yes, he is. Kaasan, could you do me a favor? Can you call Jou and the others and get everyone over to the hospital? I think it might help Yuugi if he saw everyone right now."

He could tell Hiroko was smiling. _"Of course, Yami-chan! We'll be there soon."_

They said goodbye and hung up. Yami concealed his cell phone and walked over to the bed. Yuugi's eyes were barely open now.

"Yuugi!" He yelled into the boy's ear. Yuugi jumped a bit and his eyes were now wide open. "I'm sorry, love. But you have to stay awake."

Yuugi whined. "I can't! It's too hard."

He took hold of Yuugi's good hand and kissed it. "I know it is. But you know what? Everyone's coming over to see you now."

"Who's coming?" Yuugi weakly asked, happiness and even excitement in his tiny cracked voice.

He smiled. "My parents, Jou, Seto, Honda, and Mai. She's coming too."

Yuugi's eyes were even wider then when Yami scared him. "M-Mai? She's coming?"

He nodded. "Is that all right?"

Yuugi licked his dry lips nervously. "W-well, yes. But . . . isn't she angry at me?"

Yami smiled and shook his head. "No. Not any more. Mai and I have an understanding of sorts now. She's accepted our relationship and doesn't want you to not be with her any more. She wants you back and she'll let us be together. We won't have to hide our love from her any more, Yuugi."

Violet eyes shined with happy tears. They overflowed down his cheeks and he held Yami's hand as tight as he could. "We won't have to be afraid."

The teen wiped his tears away. "That's right, love. We can be together without fear from now on."

Yuugi leaned forward as much as he could, begging to be kissed. Yami fulfilled his boyfriend's wish and gently caressed his lips with his own. Yami gently pushed Yuugi back down while they kissed so he wouldn't hurt himself. With his good hand, Yuugi stroked Yami's cheek, coaxing him to take it even further. Yuugi would have made the first move, but he simply didn't have the energy to. So, this time, he would let Yami dominate him. The teen took Yuugi's invitation and soon, tongues were locked in a gentle battle of love. After a few minutes, they pulled away and smiled.

"I love you, Yami. I love you so much." Yuugi whispered.

Yami smiled. "I love you too."

--

After he saw everyone in his room, Yuugi requested to have a moment alone with Mai. Yami ushered everyone outside and let the two stepsiblings talk. Yuugi smiled at her when she sat down in Yami's seat beside him. "Yami said that you weren't angry at me any more."

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I'm so sorry I hit you, Yuugi. I never meant anything that I said. I care about you so much. I just . . . I didn't want you to get hurt. God, I'm such a hypocrite."

Yuugi shook his head. "No, you're not. Things just got out of hand. But I don't blame you for anything that happened. I would never be mad at you."

Mai closed her eyes to erase her tears. She leaned forward to kiss Yuugi's forehead. "I'll always love you, little bother."

Mai got up and opened the door to let everyone else inside. Yami looked at her questioningly. She smiled at him and nodded.

"You aren't in pain, are you, Yuugi-chan?" Hiroko asked gently.

He shook his head. "No, not a lot of pain. It's only if I move."

Hiroko smiled. "Well, good. You just let me know if you ever need anything."

Yuugi thanked Hiroko and looked at Jou. "What have I missed at school?"

"Nothing really. All our classes were dismissed for the festival we had. You should have been there, Yuugi." Jou grinned. "It was so awesome!"

The boy smiled. "I wish I could have seen it."

Yami elbowed Jou to let him know to stop before he began. "Oh damn it. Sorry, Yuugi. I didn't mean-"

"It's ok, Jou. Tell me about it! I want to know everything." Yuugi said with as much excitement as his weakened state would let him.

Jou told tales of the different booths they had, the prizes given out, and the music that played in the DDR booth (don't own it). Seto would occasionally fill in for Jou if he forgot something or he would correct him. It didn't take long for the couple to fight. Everyone separated them, saying it was very rude to argue in front of Yuugi like that. But the boy didn't mind at all. "At least it's keeping me awake."

A nurse came in with Yuugi's meal. He thanked the nurse and groaned after she left. Yami smiled at him. "Come on, Yuugi. You have to eat this."

He nodded and tried to sit up. But he put too much pressure on his broken arm (even though it was in a cast) and he fell back down, jarring his ribs. With his good arm, Yuugi held his throbbing sides and bit his tongue to keep from screaming.

"Easy Yuugi!" Yami put one hand on his shoulder and the other gently on his chest just below his neck. "I told you not to move so much. Just take it easy."

As the boy began crying, his sobs put him through even more pain. "Yami . . . help . . ."

Yami told Jou to go get the doctor while he, Mai and Hiroko tried to calm him down. When Masuyo entered, he pushed everyone away and told them to wait outside. Yami refused to leave Yuugi's side but Jou and Seto dragged him away. After a few minutes, another nurse walked into the room with a machine on a tall metal rod. After a moment or two, Masuyo came out.

"He's all right now. We set up a morphine regulator to give him morphine in small amounts if he's ever in pain." He began. "However, I can't let any more then two or three people be in there at once. Any more then that and it could cause even more problems for Yuugi. The others can either wait out here or go home."

Masuyo made sure that only two people went inside and the others said a quick goodbye to Yuugi. Now all that was left was Mai and Yami. They refused to leave his side. But even after a while, Mai had to leave to get ready for work. She apologized once more before leaving Yuugi and Yami alone.

Yuugi inhaled deeply and sighed. Yami smoothed back a few of his bangs. "Are you ok, Yuugi? You're not in pain are you?"

He shook his head. "No. Sorry if I worried you."

They shared a short kiss. "Don't be. It's all right."

Yuugi looked deeply into Yami's eyes. They had small bags under them. He remembered that Yami's crimson orbs would always be shining with confidence, bravery, and even love. The love he saw was still there, but now his eyes were dull with uncertainty and fear. Yuugi shook his head. "Yami, go to sleep. You're exhausted. Please stop worrying about me."

"No. I won't sleep if you can't. I'm not that selfish."

Yuugi gently stroked Yami's cheek with the back of his hand. "Please love, don't do this to yourself. You'll just crash and burn if you-"

Yami took hold of Yuugi's hand and held it against his face. "Yuugi, please don't argue with me. I don't want to leave you like that. I almost lost you before and I won't lose you again. I love you too much."

The injured boy sighed. Why did he always have to be so stubborn? "Yami, I won't disappear if you get some sleep. I'll get the nurse to call Hiroko-san and she'll drag you home if that's what it takes."

He shook his head. "I don't care. I won't leave you."

Yuugi sighed. "Yami please. This isn't good for your health. I don't want you to end up in a bed here too."

Yami grew silent. He didn't want that to happen but how could he sleep when Yuugi couldn't? How was that fair? "Yuugi, please. I know this is hard to understand but I just can't leave you. I would worry even more if you weren't with me. Please, just trust me. This is something I want to do. I need to do it."

Yuugi sighed. "Fine." He was too tired to argue anyway.

XxX (major time skip. Too lazy to write the stuff in between plus I wanna get going on this)

Hiroko smiled as she watched the two boys play board games on the rug. "Yuugi's been healing nicely hasn't he?"

Mai smiled. "Yeah, he's walking just fine now. He told me that there's not much pain and all the bones have healed. There's a bit of bruising, but nothing too bad."

Hiroko finished setting the table. "I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for all your help, Mai-chan. That was very kind of you."

"You're welcome, Atemu-san. I'm glad I could help." Mai turned around. "All right boys! Dinner is ready."

Yuugi and Yami slowly got off the ground. "Don't you dare try to cheat, Yami. I'm watching you." Yuugi glared at his lover the best he could.

Yami smiled. "Now now, love, why would I cheat?"

"Because I don't know the rules to _shogi_ (2) and you never bothered to explain it to me." Yuugi huffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if you switched around my tiles just to mess me up even more."

Yami grinned and put an arm around Yuugi's shoulders. "Oh come now, aibou. I wouldn't cheat."

Yuugi rolled his eyes and they walked into the kitchen. "Oh my . . . Hiroko-san, you shouldn't have."

Hiroko smiled. "And why not? Shouldn't an important day have a wonderful meal?"

"But . . . Kaiseki Ryori?" (3) Yuugi looked at her. "It's so expensive."

She laughed lightly. "Oh it's fine, Yuugi. We'll be ok. Besides, this is a very important day and it shouldn't be limited by money. Now, let's all sit at the table."

Everyone took a seat and began the meal. As usual, Hiroko's cooking was delicious. By the time everyone had finished, Yuugi and Yami decided to go upstairs and get some rest. Mai returned to their apartment and said it would be all right if Yuugi wanted to spend the night.

Yuugi sighed and flopped down on the bed. "Hiroko-san is an amazing cook. I can't believe she went through so much trouble."

Yami stretched his arms back. "Yes, that's Kaasan all right."

When the teen looked over to the bed, he noticed Yuugi's eyes were closed but the boy wasn't asleep. Yami quickly straddled his waist and pinned his arms above Yuugi's head. He made sure to not put too much pressure on the boy's arm since it was still a little tender. But that wouldn't completely stop him from having just a little fun.

"Yami!" Yuugi giggled. "Stop it."

The teen silenced his short lover with a kiss. "Don't be too loud, Yuugi. Do you really want Kaasan and Tousan to walk in on us?"

Yuugi smirked. "Well, I guess we're screwed 'cause I'm a screamer."

Yami massaged Yuugi's lips with his and started licking the rows of pearly white teeth. He sighed as Yami's fingers intertwined with his. Their bodies pressed against each other ever so lightly. Yami wouldn't lean on Yuugi's chest so it was more on his lower regions. Yuugi wasn't going to complain about that anytime soon so he let Yami do whatever he wanted.

They broke apart for air and stared into each other's eyes. Yuugi giggled and leaned forward to meet Yami's lips but only for a moment. The teen sat up and released his hands. Yuugi put both his appendages behind his head and sighed.

With adoring eyes, Yami looked at his boyfriend. "I love you, Yuugi."

He smiled. "I love you too."

Yami lay beside him and held his hips close against him. They lay in silence for what seemed like hours. Untill . . ."Yami?"

The teen kissed Yuugi's ear. "Yes, love?"

He paused. Yuugi was unsure of how to word what he wanted to say. But he had to say it. "Do you . . . Are you . . . scared?"

Yami propped himself onto his elbows and stared at Yuugi with concern. "About what?"

Yuugi exhaled heavily. "I don't know why . . . but, sometimes, I find myself thinking about things." He trailed off with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Things like what?"

He turned on his side towards Yami and the teen lay back down to look him in the eye. "Us. Our future. I know it's still early and I don't think of anything seriously, it's just . . . thinking. But well, even though it's not serious, I . . . I get kind of nervous. No, not nervous. Yami, I get scared. I don't know what's going to happen in five years and it's scary."

Yami sighed and held Yuugi close. He kissed his forehead and nodded. "I know. I know just how you feel. The future is pretty scary. But you have to let it happen. Whatever it is just let it show itself and it won't be so bad."

Yuugi nodded. He stayed silent and closed his eyes. Yami knew there was something else wrong but Yuugi was holding back. He gently coaxed his young lover into continuing. "Yami, I don't want you to think that . . . I . . ."

He gently stroked Yuugi's cheek. "Yuugi, you know I would never think anything negatively about you. If something's worrying you I want to know what it is. There shouldn't be any secrets between us and I want to know just what's upsetting you. Please, tell me what's wrong."

There was a long silence. Yuugi was biting the inside of his lip trying to find the right words. He finally gave up and opened his eyes, fear ever so slightly dulling his bright gems. "Yami . . . Marik is dead. But what about Keith?"

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Masami: Cut! Thanks everyone! Now lets get out of here! (goes off to listen to her Gackt cd)

Damion: -.- not again

(1): about 5 dollars

(2): _Shogi _is Japanese chess

(3): Kaiseki Ryori is a very expensive, formal, and gracious Japanese seasonal cuisine.


	15. Phone Calls

Masami: ok everyone lets get started!

Yuugi: n.n

Keith: (sitting in the corner scratching himself . . . in specific areas)

Yuugi: x.x

Masami, Yami: KEITH! STOP IT!

Keith: (burps)

Masami: (sighs) Anyway, sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. Somethings screwed up with right now so a friend of mine is updating this and Kyuuketsuki for me. Thank you kim! This chapter, and the other one you're updating for me, is dedicated to you! Now back to what I was doing before. PLACES!

(everyone takes their places)

Masami: Lights!...(the lights turn on) CAMERA, DAMION! (camera starts rolling) ACTION!

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Duel Fifteen: Phone Calls

Yami hated lying to Yuugi. But for the past three days, it was the only way to keep him happy. Yami had forced himself to put on a smile just to keep Yuugi from becoming scared. The night when they had the celebration dinner, reality had come crashing down on him. Keith was still out there.

The police had been searching for him with a warrant for his arrest. He had recently committed a few crimes in Domino City so now he was being pursued by the local enforcement. But was it enough? Yami didn't think the police alone to stop him or protect Yuugi. He knew that raping criminal was still out there. He knew Keith was looking for Yuugi and unfortunately, Yuugi knew it as well. That was why he had to lie. But is it really a lie if you only want to keep your lover happy?

The day after their conversation lying in bed, Yami had spoken to Seto and Mai and they both agreed to help out. If Yuugi weren't with Yami, he would be with Jou, Seto or Mai. That was the only way they could be sure that Yuugi was safe. Yami made sure to always stay by Yuugi's side. He would walk to Mai's apartment with them after school to make sure they got home all right then Seto would give Yami a ride home. It wasn't just Yuugi who wasn't being left alone. All three of them stayed close together. Keith had already proven that he would go after anyone to find Yuugi.

Yami now sat in his bedroom, trying to concentrate on his math homework unsuccessfully. He couldn't take his mind off Keith. He was worried that Keith would attack Yuugi at any second! What if his young lover was in danger right now?

Yami picked up the phone and pressed memory one. Each time it rang, Yami's heartbeat quickened. After the third ring, a soft voice filled his ear. _"Moshi Moshi."_

Yami sighed deeply in relief. "Thank goodness."

_"Eh? Yami?"_

He smiled at his love's innocent confusion. "Yes, aibou. It's me. Sorry to disturb you."

Yuugi's gentle smile could be heard clearly through his words. _"No, it's fine. I wasn't doing anything. What's up?"_

He sat back, leaning against the wall. "Nothing really. I just couldn't think straight."

Yuugi hummed thoughtfully. _"You do seem to be rather distracted lately. What's going on with you?"_

Yami sighed. He could feel a twinge of hate and anger at himself for what he was about to say. "Yamashita-san has been getting on my nerves lately. All the work he's been giving us-"

Yuugi sighed. _"Yami, don't lie to me. I'm in that class too, remember? It hasn't been that bad. Now tell me the truth. What's wrong?"_

Yami bit his lip. He couldn't tell the truth. He didn't want Yuugi to be afraid anymore. He only wanted the boy to be happy. But how could he lie to his boyfriend now that he had been caught?

_"I thought there wasn't going to be any secret between us."_

Silence. Neither of them spoke. Yami was trying to, but no sound would come from his mouth. He had to say something. He knew each second he stayed silent would only make things worse. But what could he say?

Yuugi sighed. _"Forget it. I'll . . . talk to you tomorrow."_

The line went dead. Yami threw the phone away from him and tossed his binder to the floor. "Damn it! I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I say something! Why couldn't I just tell him the truth?"

Yami wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. He didn't want to keep things from Yuugi anymore. But could he really tell him? At the same time, this wasn't new information to Yuugi. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he told Yuugi what was wrong, what he, Seto and Mai are up to. He should just tell Yuugi that the police were searching for him. But he didn't want to upset Yuugi. Maybe . . .

XxX

The next day, Yuugi and Yami looked at each other oddly. And it didn't go unnoticed by the others. Mai knew Yuugi was upset after talking to Yami on the phone, but he wouldn't say too much. Something was different between them. Something needed to be fixed.

During class, Seto and Yami were passing notes talking about what happened.

_Just apologize to him, baka. _Seto wrote.

Yami rolled his eyes. _I know that! Trust me, I want to but the instant I say anything to him, he'll just ask me what's wrong again and I'll have to lie to him!_

Morita-san called on Yami to read a passage from the textbook for a minute. When he sat back down, the note was on his desk with Seto's answer. _What are you talking about? Why would you have to lie?_

_I'm just trying to protect him. He's so fragile and I only want to keep him safe._

He heard Seto scoff before writing down his answer then sending it back. _We all want to keep him safe. But the way you're talking it sounds like he's a porcelain doll or something. You have to tell him. It's not like this is some secret mission. Besides, Yuugi knows what Keith is like. He knows better then anyone else. We will protect him but you don't have to baby him like that. He may be "fragile" but he's not that breakable._

Yami sighed, knowing Seto was right. There wasn't much point it keeping it secret. _I guess you're right. It's not right to keep this behind his back. Besides, he knows Keith is out there. I think he'll be glad that we're trying to protect him. I just don't want to lie to him about what's bothering me any more. We promised no secrets between us._

Seto sent the letter back with only a single sentence. _If telling him means you'll stop bitching and moaning then do it and do it now._

--

Yami was more then happy to explain to Yuugi what's been going on. At lunch, he pulled the boy away from the others to talk in private. "Yuugi, there's something I need to tell you. First off, I'm sorry about last night. I know we shouldn't keep secrets and I had no right to lie to you."

Yuugi smiled and nodded. "It's ok, Yami."

The two sat down under the Sakura tree to wait for the others. "Yuugi, there's something you should know. You were right. Keith _is_ still out there and Mai, Kaiba and I have been taking . . . precautions to make sure everyone is safe. That's why we're always checking up on you. We don't let you out of our sites simply because we don't want to lose you to him. We're only keeping you safe. We've also been talking with the police and getting updates on their search for him. They haven't found anything yet, but I know they will. We've done this all for your safety, Yuugi."

Yuugi leaned against the tree and rested his head against Yami's shoulder. "Thank you for caring so much. And thank you for telling me the truth. I was really worried about you."

Yami smiled and held the boy's hand, laying his cheek on the top of Yuugi's head. "I didn't mean to make you worry. Just know that we only want you to be happy and safe."

"I do." The others soon sat with them and they ate their lunch with a friendlier atmosphere.

--

That night, Yuugi spent at least ten minutes convincing Yami that he wasn't scared. "I've grown up, Yami. I am a little worried that Keith is out there, but I'm not afraid. Maybe I should be, but I'm not afraid of him anymore. I won't let him control me like that ever again. Ever."

Yami sighed. _"I wish I could hold you right now, Yuugi. I just want to be with you. You may not be scared, but I am. You know what Keith is like. But I don't."_

Yuugi half smiled, glad that Yami couldn't see the pain that he knew was shining in his eyes. "Trust me, Yami. As bad as Keith is, he's nothing to be afraid of. He's just a stupid coward who only cares about himself. He's not worth a single thought. He's doesn't deserve to even be mentioned! Not after all that he's done, and not just to me! I know he's hurt other people too. He's nothing but a monster!"

Yuugi's voice had started to get emotional. It cracked in a few places and he could feel tears starting to form. Yami's soothing voice was the only thing that kept him from breaking down completely. _"Shh, shh. Easy Yuugi. It's ok. Don't get upset. I promise he won't hurt you anymore."_

In a way, it was a good thing that truck had sent Yuugi to the hospital. There, he got proper medicine and care for his asthma so now he didn't have to worry about having attacks with no one around. The inhaler he always carried around in his pocket soothed him and took away just a bit of his stress. "I'm sorry. I guess it still hurts."

He could almost see Yami shaking his head. _"Don't apologize, Yuugi. There's nothing for you to regret. It's completely understandable that you're still sensitive to this subject. I'm not expecting you to get better overnight. I know it's hard to get over pain. Ok?"_

After taking his medicine, Yuugi took a deep breath just to make sure he would stay calm. "Yeah. Thank you Yami. I'll be ok. I just need to vent for a second."

Yami's words slipped past a soft smile as he spoke. _"That's ok, I understand. It's not easy to keep such painful memories inside. If there's ever a time you need to let something out just come and find me. I'll be glad to hear any problems you have. I don't want you to be upset any more. I want you to be happy. If venting is what will make you happy, then do it. Ok? Remember, you're not a burden to me. I love you, Yuugi."_

He nodded. "I love you, too, Yami."

Yami yawned quietly. _"Get some sleep, aibou. I'll see you tomorrow morning ok?"_

Yuugi smiled. "Good night, love." He kissed the receiver and hung up.

--

Yami chuckled at how romantic and adorable Yuugi could be sometimes. As Hiroko once said, "that boy is hopelessly in love with you, Yami-chan."

He sighed and slipped under the covers. _'Yuugi's been through a lot since we met. I remember the first time I saw him, he was so scared and shy. But now, he's brave and happy. I'm glad that he's changed so much.'_

Yami closed his eyes and sighed. He couldn't wait until morning to see Yuugi again. Now that there were no more lies . . .

XxX

_Two weeks later_

The rain patted gently against the roof and the windows. It had lulled Yuugi to sleep and he still rested peacefully. But the sudden ringing of a phone woke Yuugi up and he was instantly annoyed. His digital clock that was right beside his face blinded him for a moment. He squinted his eyes and saw that it was 3:30 am. Yuugi groaned and reached for the phone. "Moshi moshi."

_"Yuugi?"_

He paused and sat up, rubbing his eyes to be more alert. "Yes. Who is this?"

The gruff voice chuckled. _"Oh come on, how do you not remember me, Yuugi?"_

Concern grew within him. "How do you know my name?"

He seemed to not even hear Yuugi's question. _"So you're out of the hospital, eh? Does it still hurt?"_

Yuugi pulled the phone away and stared at it, expecting something to be broken. But it was a brand new phone, still in perfect condition. Could he really be hearing this man correctly? Yuugi turned to the side, expecting to see Mai sleeping beside him. Perhaps the caller was for her. But she wasn't there. Sometimes, Mai would sleep on the couch if she wanted to be alone with her anger. Her job was always very stressful and she dealt with stress much better on her own. Yuugi sighed. He wished Mai had stayed with him tonight. With just a touch of annoyance, Yuugi asked once more, "Who _is_ this?"

_"Cranky, are we? Should I have let you sleep?" _ The man chuckled deeply. _"You always did look so peaceful when you were sleeping. So beautiful . . ."_

Yuugi gasped. "Keith."

He laughed cruelly. _"It's been a while hasn't it, Yuugi? Too bad Marik failed bringing you to me. I've missed hearing you scream."_

As his tears fell, Yuugi could see them glistening in the moonlight. So many memories came back to him. All the pain he felt in the past. Everything he said . . .

Keith moaned. _"God, you're so beautiful when you're crying. And the moonlight makes it look like you're glowing. I can't wait to fuck you again, Yuugi. I've missed that hot, tight ass of yours."_

Yuugi shook with fear. "Y-you can see me."

Lust was coating Keith's voice. _"Of course. I won't let you out of my sight again. You're mine. I won't let anybody have you." _

Yuugi threw the phone away and ran out of his room to the den where Mai was sleeping on the couch. "Mai! Wake up!"

She opened her eyes and saw the terror in Yuugi's violet orbs. "What's wrong?"

He fell to his knees and panted. "It's-it's Keith. He's close."

Mai ran off the couch and grabbed the phone. By now, Keith had hung up. She quickly dialed Kaiba's emergency number and waited for only one ring. _"Mai?"_

She looked out the window to see if she could spot him. "Kaiba, Yuugi said Keith is close by."

Seto gasped. _"Shit! I'll be over there in five minutes."_

After they hung up, Mai went back to the living room to see Yuugi using his inhaler again. She rubbed his arms and held him close. "It's ok, Yuugi. I won't let him get you. Don't be afraid."

He nodded and leaned against her. Mai asked what Keith said to him. Before he even began to explain, Yuugi broke down in tears. He relayed Keith's words to her the best he could. But half way through, Mai stopped him. She knew it scared him and there was no point in putting him through more pain.

Suddenly, someone pounded on the door. "Mai! It's Kaiba! Are you guys all right!"

She sighed, afraid at first that it was Keith. "Yes, come on in."

The door opened and he ran inside. Kaiba was quickly at their side to find Yuugi in tears, his once bright and happy eyes now red and afraid. "Yuugi-kun, are you all right? Did he hurt you?"

Yuugi shook his head. Mai placed her hand on the back of his head to let him know that she could fill Seto in. "He called Yuugi a few minutes ago and . . . said some things to him. He's close enough that he could see Yuugi through the bedroom window."

Seto shook his head and swore under his breath. "Ok. Is there anything you need to grab before we leave?"

Mai nodded. "I need to get our school bags and my purse. Take Yuugi and I'll be down there in a-"

Seto interrupted her, shaking his head. "We'll wait for you here."

The CEO took Yuugi into his arms and rubbed the boy's back. "Shh, take it easy, Yuugi-kun. If it'll make you feel better, when we get there, I can call Yami and he can come over too. What do you say?"

Yuugi nodded against Seto's shoulder and sniffed. "Thank you, Seto-san. Thank you so much."

Mai returned with the items she needed and they all climbed into Seto's blue white-stripped car before they zoomed off down the road. Mai and Yuugi sat in the back as Seto drove past the speed limit back to Kaiba Corp. Headquarters. While on the way, he called Yami and demanded the teen be over there when they arrive. Yami didn't need an explanation to know something was wrong.

Yuugi had calmed down half way to the headquarters. He was still really scared but it wasn't as bad not. Yuugi sat in Mai's lap and his head was pressed against her chest. He could hear her heartbeat so clearly. It was going faster then it should. He gripped Mai's shirt tightly and sighed. "I'm sorry. I overreacted and made you worry. I shouldn't have done that."

Mai tightened her hold on him. "Yuugi, don't say that. You're not overreacting. It's ok. We're all concerned about your wellbeing and we want you to be safe. There's no such thing as overreacting."

He sighed and gave up. Yuugi was so tired he didn't have the energy to argue. But at the same time, he couldn't sleep no matter how badly he wanted to. He was scared that Keith would get him if he even tried to close his eyes. Yuugi just wanted Yami to hold him. With Yami, he knew everything would be all right. He loved Mai and Seto very much and he knew they would also keep him safe. But it was so very different with Yami. He felt almost invincible with his lover's arms wrapped around him.

They arrived at the tall sky scrapper in time to meet Yami. Seto was only half surprised to see how fast the teen got there. But when a loved one is in danger, Yami seems to attain a super human strength. He was soaked from the rain that had drenched everything in sight.

After the gates were opened, Yami followed the car to the inside parking lot. Even before the car came to a complete stop, Yami wrenched open the door. "Yuugi!"

The boy jumped out of the car and into his lover's arms. He didn't start crying, as he wanted to, but he squeezed Yami as if he would fall down an endless black hole if he ever let go. Yami carried Yuugi like a bride into the building and Seto directed him to Yuugi's room. The two sat on Yuugi's bed for a minute before Yuugi looked up into Yami's eyes. "Are you all right, aibou? Are you hurt?"

Yuugi shook his head. "No, I was just really scared. The things he said to me-" Yami silenced him with a short kiss on the lips. "That's enough, Yuugi. You said it yourself, love, he isn't worth it. Don't worry; we'll keep you safe. I promise."

Yuugi nodded and rested his cheek against Yami's shoulder. "I love you, Yami."

He kissed the top of his boyfriend's head and smiled softly, resting his chin just above Yuugi's forehead. "I love you, too."

There was a soft knock on the door and Yami told them to come in. Mai was wearing a robe seeing as how she was only wearing her pajamas. Seto brought in another robe for Yami and a towel to dry himself off. After Yami settled down, he put an arm around Yuugi's waist. Yuugi gratefully leaned against him and looked at Mai and Seto. "What's going to happen now?"

Seto pulled a chair close to them, as did Mai. He took a breath. "I've called the police and told them that Keith was nearby. They're out looking for him right now. I can't imagine that he'd get too far."

"What about us?" Yuugi timidly asked.

He smiled. "Don't worry. We'll all be fine. I've spared no expense on security so even if he did try to get to us, he'd be found out before he's even within twenty feet of the gate. As for school, that's your decision, Yuugi. If you think it's best for us to just stay here, that's what we'll do. If you really want to go to school tomorrow, then I can have bodyguards watching the school and escorting us anywhere we go. It's up to you."

Yuugi bit his lip. "I don't know. What do you think is best?"

Seto shrugged. "Either one is fine. But like I said, it's up to you."

Yuugi thought for a moment. He really did want to go to school but if it wasn't safe . . . "I think it might be better if we stay here."

He nodded. "Then it's settled. You three can all stay in here. Sorry, but we don't have any other spare rooms."

Yami and Mai nodded, saying it was fine. Yuugi needed to be with someone anyway. The bed was big enough to fit three people comfortably so no one would be cramped. Yuugi was the first to fall asleep. All the stress he had gone through and how late it was had overwhelmed him and he couldn't stay awake any longer. Yami and Mai slept on either side of him and before either of them fell asleep, Mai said, "Thanks for coming, Atemu. It means a lot . . . to both of us."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

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Masami: CUT! Thanks everyone that's it for today!

Yuugi: (still asleep)

Masami: (dies from cuteness)

Damion: damn it not again. (drags Masami away by her ankles) see you guys next time!

REVIEW!


	16. Interrogation

Masami: Ok people let's get going! We're getting slightly closer to the end here!

Yuugi: Aww, but this was fun!

Masami: I KNOW! (cries) But it has to end sometime

Yami: The sooner the better!

Masami: n.n I choose to ignore that. Now take your places!

(everyone took their places)

Masami: LIGHTS! (the lights turn on) Camera, Damion.

Damion: (starts rolling the camera)

Masami: ACTION!

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Duel Sixteen: Interrogation

_Friday_

Yuugi slept through the whole night peacefully and undisturbed. Mai had never seen this before. Every time her stepbrother thought of Keith he would have at least one nightmare. And yet, he lay on the bed with the tiniest smile on his face. She sighed and beamed at the boy. She was so proud of him for being so brave. It was plain to see that he did have some help from Yami and Seto, but nonetheless, she was proud.

It was about two hours later that Yami woke up to see Mai sitting on the chair reading a book. It seemed that she was very interested in it by the way her eyes glowed with curiosity and excitement. He smiled and sat up. "Is it a good book?"

She gasped and looked up. Mai sighed and shook her head. "Yes. I didn't think Yuugi was into such exciting books." She chuckled and put the book down on the nightstand. "Then again, it seems that Yuugi's been full of surprises lately. Bringing home a boyfriend, getting a job, making new friends. This city really has changed him for the better."

Yami smiled. "My thoughts exactly. He hasn't been here for that long. But I guess there's something about Domino City that changes you."

She scoffed. "I can't see how. It's just a city."

Yami raised an eyebrow gently. "You know, it's changed you a lot, too, Mai."

She froze. Mai knew Yami was right, but she didn't want to admit it. Mai stood up. "I'm going to go talk to Kaiba for a second. Don't let Yuugi sleep for too much longer, it's not good to sleep so late."

He nodded. After Mai left, Yami's eyes turned to the digital clock. "It's noon already? I didn't think I- . . . I . . . ACHOO!" Yami sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Damn it. Stupid rain. I can't afford to get sick."

"Yami?" The sheets rustled a bit as Yuugi turned toward him. They smiled at each other and Yami reclined onto the bed once more. He kissed Yuugi's forehead. "Good morning, love. Did I wake you?"

Yuugi nodded. "It's ok. We should probably get out of bed soon anyway. You're not getting sick are you?" Yami chuckled. He shook his head, saying it was only a momentary sneeze. They lay in bed for only a moment before Yuugi decided they should get up. Just as he lifted his arms to stretch his back, Yami's arms encircled his stomach and a pair of lips gently stroked his neck. Yuugi moaned. He ran his fingers through Yami's hair and angled his head. "Yami . . ."

The teen smiled and pulled away, gently kissing his ear. "I love you so much, aibou. I'll always love you."

He sighed happily. "I love you too."

They held each other's hands as they walked downstairs. Yuugi took Yami into Mokuba's game room. The child had told Yuugi that if he were ever there, Yuugi had free access to the room anytime he wanted. He was glad Mokuba allowed him to use it. He needed something to take his mind off Keith.

They stayed in that room for hours on end playing any game in sight. They only came out to eat every once in a while. After a while, they both decided to go back to their room and lay down. They held each other and talked for hours (or what seemed like hours), never mentioning Keith or the situation at hand.

Soon, they couldn't think of anything to talk about so they became silent. The room was still and only their breathing could be heard. Yuugi snuggled closer to Yami and turned his head so his ear would press against the teen's chest. He sighed as the pulsing beat of Yami's heart drummed in his ear. It was his favorite sound. It was the only way to truly know if something was alive.

Yami smiled at Yuugi as the boy closed his eyes. He felt so much love for him right now he felt like it was overflowing. But he had no real way of expressing it. Kissing him just wasn't enough, and he knew neither of them was ready for a sexual relationship. So holding him would have to do for now.

XxX

Seto sighed angrily as he slammed the phone down onto the receiver. "I swear! Sometimes the police are so useless!" (Masami: no offence!)

Mai rolled her eyes. "Kaiba did you really think that they would find Keith right away?"

He sat back in his chair. "No. But I thought they would at least have some kind of lead."

Mai shook her head. "Trust me. Keith won't make it that easy. He's pretty damn hard to find if he doesn't want to be found."

Seto nodded. He paused. "Do you think Yuugi could handle being interrogated by the police about Keith? I'm not sure if they would do it or not, but we have to be prepared for it."

She sighed, cursing under her breath. "I doubt it. You know what happened so I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is for him. But I think that if someone is there with him then it won't be so bad. He's just too sensitive."

Seto nodded. He looked past Mai and blinked. "Yuugi."

Mai stood up and turned around. Yuugi wasn't glaring at them, but he wasn't very happy. Yuugi took a deep breath. "I'm not too sensitive, Mai. I can handle it. I've done it before and if I have to I'll do it again. I'm not a baby anymore, Mai."

She nodded. "I know that, Yuugi. But you are still very sensitive to this subject. I just don't want you to be hurt."

He smiled. "I know. But I promise I'll be ok."

Seto smiled at Yuugi and watched him leave to return to the game room. _'Yuugi may be strong, but I don't think he's that strong. I think that was more of a cover so we wouldn't have to worry about him. I just hope he'll be all right.'_

--

Yuugi thought about it as he climbed the stairs. He didn't want his friends and family to think he was weak. Yuugi knew he wasn't very strong, but he always tried. As long as you try, that should be all that matters. Sadly, some people don't believe that. Did Yami believe trying was enough?

Now was a perfect chance to ask. He stood in the entrance of the game room and hesitated. What kind of answer would Yami give him? The teen must have noticed his nervousness because he sat up with a confused look on his face. "Yuugi, what's wrong?"

He sighed and closed the door. Yuugi sat down beside his lover and looked up at him. "Yami, do you think I'm too sensitive?"

Yami was blatantly taken aback by Yuugi's question. He raised an eyebrow. "No, of course not. I think you're very emotional and passionate, but you're not too sensitive. Where on earth did you hear that?"

Yuugi paused to find the right words. The last thing he wanted was to sound like he was calling Mai down. With the proper wording in mind, Yuugi began. "Well, I know it was wrong, but I kind of eavesdropped on Mai and Seto-san just now. He said that the police might have to ask me questions about Keith. Mai said it wasn't a good idea because I'm . . . too sensitive. I told her that I could handle it, and I can. I just . . ."

Yami smiled and placed an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Yuugi, don't you ever worry about who you are. You shouldn't doubt yourself just because of what one person thinks. Trust me it's ok. You're not too sensitive. You're perfect the way you are and you always will be."

Yuugi smiled and kissed Yami's lips. "Thank you, Yami. It means a lot to me." The taller winked and with a cheesy grin, he said, "You mean a lot to me, aibou."

Yuugi giggled and pushed Yami away from him. "You're so lame. Now, if I remember correctly, and I know that I do, I was kicking your butt at _shogi._"

Yami laughed and returned to his previous position of lying face down on the floor in front of the board. "And what makes you so sure of that, my dear? I beat you the last time we played this game, so what makes you think that you'll beat me this time?"

Yuugi made a sound as if he had discovered something. "I was watching you last time. I _know_ what to do this time!"

XxX

_Sunday_

Yuugi laughed as they all sat around the table, eating breakfast. He noticed that Seto wasn't there to join them this time. "Mokuba-kun, where's your brother? He's missing breakfast."

The child looked up from his bowl. He had a mouthful of miso soup and couldn't answer. Everyone chuckled as a tiny trickle of broth spilled out from the corner of his mouth. "Never mind. I'll go look for him."

Yuugi got up from the table and made his way towards the stairs. On the second level, he turned left and opened the door to Seto's office. He saw the CEO sitting behind his desk with his laptop open, as per usual. Something that wasn't expected was seeing him leaning on the desk, sleeping like a log. Yuugi smiled. _'So he does sleep.'_

He walked towards the desk and just as he was about to put his hand on Seto's shoulder, he noticed something blinking on the computer.

Curiosity got the better of him. He knew it was wrong, but Seto wouldn't get mad at him. Would he? Yuugi grabbed the mouse and dragged the cursor over to the blinking icon, clicking it once. A single window entitled "Kaiba Corp Messages: 1 Unread" appeared. The message that hadn't been opened was highlighted in blue. Under the sender address, it read "Domino Police Headquarters". The subject was "Interrogation with Motou Yuugi-sama."

His hand shook and he let go of the mouse, taking a step back. "No . . . Why now? It can't be . . ."

"Yuugi?"

He stopped shaking and smiled. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Seto-san! Are you going to join us for breakfast?"

Seto smiled. "Sure. I'll be down there in just a minute."

Yuugi nodded and quickly left the office. He leaned against the wall and breathed deeply to calm himself down. _'This can't be. I thought they weren't going to ask me questions! Why? Why are they doing this to me! Can't they just let me be happy?'_

He slowly slid down to the ground and whimpered. "Please . . . no . . ."

--

Seto stared at the computer screen. _'Yuugi must have seen the message.' _He opened the file and read it to himself.

_"Dear Kaiba Seto-sama,_

_As of late, we have been unable to find any clues to tell us the whereabouts of Howard Keith. Please contact me to set up a time for an interrogation with Motou Yuugi-sama. If it has been approved by his parents/guardians, we would prefer it to be sometime this week. A speedy arrest is crucial at this time._

_Best regards, DPD Chief Kurowaka Kaito."_

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Damn it. Why can't he get a break for once?"

XxX

Yuugi and Yami lay in each other's arms as they slept. But for Yuugi, it was almost impossible to find sleep. He would close his eyes and drift off, but it would only ever last for a few minutes. Yuugi would awaken with fear in his heart and thoughts of a bitter future. Why did it have to be like this? It's been so many years since he last saw the bandit, and yet, even an image of his face keeps him from sleeping. The mere mention of his name sends fear into his heart. His body goes numb and his mind foggy. At least, that's how he felt at the moment.

It wasn't something he hadn't felt before. Yuugi has always been afraid. Even when he was happy, he would fear for the future, the present, and most of all, the past. It's what kept him awake tonight. What kept him awake many nights before.

Now, as he lay in bed and in his lover's arms, he lies in fear. He thought of this bed as not a bed, but a pool of self-pity that he wallows in for all of the life that he has lived. His lover's arms that surround him are arms he cannot feel. To Yuugi, it's as if Yami didn't exist in this moment. He could not feel the love, the warmth, and the protection they always give him. He only felt pain.

Yuugi sighed. _'I'm so pathetic. Here I am, feeling sorry for myself, but doing nothing about it as usual. I'm never going to change. I haven't yet, so why would I?'_

His bright, violet eyes looked up at Yami's restful face as he slept. Jealousy stung his heart as he stared at the beauty and the bravery that was his lover. "Why can't I be like you? Why can't I have your courage and your strength?" He whispered into the night.

Yuugi always thought that lies were the worst thing a person could ever say or do. And yet, he lies all the time. Whenever someone asks if he's all right, he'll lie and say "I'm fine" with a genuinely fake smile on his face. The only thing he will never lie about is when he says "I love you." Those are the truest words Yuugi has ever spoken, and they always will be. But shouldn't truth accompany love?

Shouldn't he tell Yami, "I'm afraid of the interrogation with the police. I lied. I don't want to do it." That would be the right thing to do. But wouldn't that be selfish? What if Yuugi had some kind of information that could save others from Keith's wrath?

Yuugi could never withhold that if it meant saving someone from what he went through. He would have to do it. He will do it. Sometimes, going through pain means saving others from suffering.

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Masami: AND CUT! Sorry if it got really boring near the end, but I wanted to have Yuugi's thoughts in there at some point.

Yami: (wakes up) are we done?

Masami: Yes. For today at least.

Yami: Good. (falls back asleep)

Yuugi: n.n'


	17. Keith, Part Two

Masami: I'm SO SORRY! I didn't mean to take this long to upload. School's been getting in the way and stuff like that. Plus my computer is really stupid.

Yami: I'll say.

Masami: Now, let's get filming! Lights! (the lights turn on) Camera!

Damion: (starts the Camera)

Masami: ACTION!

WARNING: some sexual situations (mostly just mentions), really bad language

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Duel Seventeen: Keith, part two

_Monday_

"Please state your name and age for the record."

He took a deep, shaky breath. "Motou Yuugi, sixteen."

He sat in an interrogation room with the chief of police. A steel table sat in the room with them and three chairs, two of which were occupied. Yuugi felt so small and alone. Kurowaka wasn't scaring him or pressuring him. He was being very kind and gentle, speaking in a calm, soothing voice.

It wasn't the man of authority that scared him. It was the room. Something about it made him feel so small. There was an unexplainable pressure in the room. A kind of weight that was pushing down on him. Something was off about this place, this day. Yuugi had no idea what it was, but something just wouldn't sit right with him.

Kurowaka wrote down a few notes and looked back up at Yuugi. "When was the first time you met Keith?"

"When I was fourteen. I was walking down the street and he and I ran into each other." Kurowaka nodded and wrote down a few more notes. Yuugi wasn't sure why he was writing notes since there was a tape recorder copying everything they were saying.

The interrogation continued. Kurowaka made sure he asked all of the necessary questions but each inquiry hurt Yuugi more and more. "When you ran away from your step-father, where did Keith take you?"

"H-he took us to his apartment. Th-that was when . . ." Yuugi trailed off at this point, hoping Kurowaka would get the idea of what happened so the boy wouldn't have to explain it again.

"That was when? What happened?"

Yuugi closed his eyes to keep the tears from falling. He hated crying. Yuugi opened his eyes once more only to have drops of sorrow fall down his face. "That was w-when . . . Keith raped me for the first time."

He raised an eyebrow. "The first time. It happened more then once?"

Yuugi nodded, whimpering as images filled his head. "I-I don't know how many times it happened, but it wasn't just once. He-he said . . ." Yuugi couldn't hold back a sob. He took a deep, gasping breath and weakly continued. "He said he couldn't get enough of me. He said, 'now I know why your step dad made so much money off of you.'"

Kurowaka sighed. He felt terrible to open these wounds again. But to keep Keith off the streets, it might be the only option. He wrote down a few notes and stopped the recorder. "Motou-san, if you want, you can go get some air. Get your self together and we can finish this when you're ready."

Yuugi nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's ok. I'll tell your friends you would rather be alone." Kurowaka got up from his chair to open the door for Yuugi, but the boy ran out of the room before he got a chance to.

Yami, Mai and Seto were all waiting just outside the door with great anxiety. Their fears only increased when Yuugi ran past them and then out the exit. Yami stood up and was just about to race after him, but Kurowaka held him back. "I'm sorry Atemu-san, but Motou-san told me that he needed to be alone for a minute."

"What the hell happened in their?" Mai angrily demanded. "What did you do to him!" Seto grabbed her arm to keep her from attacking him. He whispered that she needed to calm down.

"I was asking him questions about Keith and he started to get a little emotional. I thought it best that I give him a moment so he might compose himself before we continue. I don't have very many questions left so it won't take very long."

Yami and Mai were going to say something but Seto cut them off. "Thank you very much, Kurowaka-san."

He nodded and walked towards the receptionist desk. Yami sighed. "I hate this. Yuugi is in so much pain. I could see in his eyes that it's hurting him to retell the story of his past."

Seto completely agreed. Even though he only saw Yuugi's face for a moment, he could plainly see tears and hurt glittering in those unmistakable eyes. "I know it doesn't seem fair, Yami. But you know it could be the best way to give the police a good lead. I don't want to do this to him any more then you do. But we don't have too much of a choice."

Mai sat down and leaned forward. "I just wish I could be in there with him. I know how much pain he's in and I could help him through it."

"We all could. But Kurowaka-san said he have to stay out. It's regulation to only have police and whom they're questioning in there. We know we wouldn't influence Yuugi's answers, but they don't. It's only a precaution and a sensible one." Seto reasoned. Both he and Yami sat down once more, waiting for Yuugi's return.

Yami took a slow deep breath. His heart was twisted with sorrow and anger for Yuugi. He couldn't stand seeing tears in those beautiful orbs of amethyst. They should only shine with happiness. He let out the breath he had been holding for a moment. _'Why is it so hard to be happy?'_

XxX

Yuugi burst out of the door ignoring a strange look from an officer who was entering the building. He pressed his side up against the wall. One hand covered his face in despair, the other holding his side to calm his shaking. _'Why is this so hard for me? I don't understand. It's all in the past now. It can't be changed and it can't be undone. Why can't I just move on and not cry about this any more?'_

He sobbed a few times, turning around violently when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the officer that looked so strangely at him not but a few seconds ago. His racing heartbeat slowed and he moved the hand on his face to his shoulder.

The officer looked upon Yuugi with concern and caring. Yuugi couldn't see any trace of falsity in this man's eyes. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just wondering if you were hurt."

Yuugi shook his head. "No, I'm ok. I just got a little scared." He went on to explain about the interrogations, but also said that he would be all right. The officer completely understood. "A little alone time is what's best if you're feeling down."

He smiled and walked away. Yuugi sighed. _'I suppose I should get this over with.'_ He turned around to walk to the door. A voice from behind him spoke. "You shouldn't be alone for too long. Who knows what kind of creeps could get to you."

XxX

Yami looked up at the clock. Yuugi was gone for twenty minutes. There's no way it could have taken that long. "Something's not right. He's been gone for too long."

Seto stood up. "I'll go talk with Kurowaka-san."

Yami got up from his seat and walked quickly towards the door. _'Please be all right Yuugi.' _He pushed open the door and scanned the area. "Yuugi?" He called out. But there was no answer. "Yuugi!"

"Hey! You!" A voice cried.

Yami turned to his right and glared. Someone with blonde, spiky layered hair was running towards him. He wore a hooded sleeveless shirt with small chains hanging in the front as well as black cargo pants and a blue belt. The boy stopped in front of Yami and caught his breath. "Are you Atemu Yami? You are, aren't you."

He nodded. "Yes. Why? Who are you?"

"My name is Malik." He said.

Yami gasped. "Malik?"

He nodded again. "I know my name is familiar to you. Marik was my twin brother. But that's not important. I came here to help you find Yuugi."

"You know where Keith's hide out is!" He cried.

Malik sighed. "Yes. But we have to hurry. Yuugi is in great danger."

Yami turned around and opened the door. "Kaiba! We found Keith!"

--

They sped down the street in Seto's limo. They were able to bypass the traffic because of the police escort they had. In the back of the car, Marik started explaining everything to Yami, Seto and Mai.

"I lived in Nagano with my brother, Marik. Our parents died when we were seven, so we lived on the streets for a while. But when we were fourteen, we met Keith."

Yami blinked. _'Yuugi was fourteen when he first met Keith . . .'_

"He took us under his wing and made my brother apart of his gang. I tried to stop him but there was nothing I could do. Keith has a way of making people do whatever he wants. Marik was persuaded to be Keith's right hand man. They went around doing all sorts of things. I'm sure you know what they did. But then, when I was seventeen, Keith met Yuugi."

Seto crossed his arms. "Aren't you a part of Keith's gang?" Malik nodded, and he continued with an untrusting tone. "Then why are you helping us?"

"Because Keith is the reason my brother is dead. I know Marik did a lot of bad things in his life. I never said he was a good person. But he's still my brother. I loved him so much. I always hated Keith for what he did to my brother. I'll never forgive him and I won't let him get away with this any longer."

XxX

Yuugi froze. He couldn't move. He couldn't breath. Hearing that voice again made his heart stop. _'Don't let it be true.'_

A large, rough hand grabbed his hand and turned him around. Yuugi felt his legs starting to walk forward. He couldn't stop himself. He couldn't do anything. Keith was taking him somewhere and his body wouldn't do anything to stop it. The shock had frozen his mind and overwhelmed him.

It didn't take too long for them to arrive at Ushio's apartment; Keith's new hideout. He had sent all of his underlings away so he and Yuugi could have a little "alone time". But before they left, Keith had them arrange all the furniture so it looked identical to the apartment he had back in Nagano.

Yuugi's fear increased when he saw the oh-so-familiar arrangement surrounding him. So many memories filled his head. Fresh tears fell from his eyes and he started to shake. Keith stood behind him and snaked his arms around his body. "I know you're afraid, Yuugi. But don't you worry. I'll make sure you come really hard when I fuck you."

Yuugi found a sudden burst of strength and flew out of Keith's arms. "Leave me alone! I won't let you touch me again!" He screamed. But then his voice grew quiet. "Not like that . . ."

Keith laughed. "You won't let me? Oh come on. You want me to fuck you so badly you're in denial."

Yuugi shouted, "You're wrong! I don't feel like that!"

He scoffed and shook his head. "Yuugi, you're pathetic. You've kept everyone out of your pants for so long you've forgotten how good it feels to be fucked." Keith slowly started walking towards Yuugi. With each step the bandit took, Yuugi would take one step back, slowly and unknowingly trapping himself into a corner. "The pleasure you feel when I touch you. I know you remember it."

Yuugi's back suddenly hit the wall. He couldn't escape now and Keith knew it. He put one hand on the wall beside Yuugi's head and the other on his shoulder. "How could you forget when I left that scar on your neck?"

His calloused index finger traced the outline of the scar that Keith had given Yuugi the first time they had ever been together. "And I know you haven't forgotten our little bathtub escapade. I'm so glad I let you have a bath that day."

Yuugi whimpered as more tears cascaded down his cheeks. "Stop it. No more." His voice was so weak that the words he spoke came out as a mere whisper. Keith grabbed both of Yuugi's wrists and pinned his arms above his head.

Keith dived down and caught Yuugi's lips in a searing kiss. He bit Yuugi's bottom lip to gain entrance to the delicious cavern. Keith moaned as the sweet sugary taste enveloped his senses and took him over. _'Better then I remember.'_

Yuugi screamed. How could he have let Keith do this! Yuugi didn't want anyone to kiss him unless it was Yami. But now . . . How could he have let this happen?

Keith finally pulled away and groaned noisily. He stared into Yuugi's eyes and chuckled. "Yuugi, don't bother resisting. You know how badly you want this. Maybe even more then I do."

"No I don't!" Yuugi screamed with all his might. But his courageous front was broken when he started to sob.

"If you didn't then why aren't you fighting me?" Keith asked. "If you don't fight against something then obviously you're for it."

Yuugi gasped. _'That's not true. I don't . . .' _But with Keith's strangely logical reasoning, it was hard to believe himself. He loved Yami with all his heart. There was no denying it! That was the one thing Yuugi knew was true. So why wasn't he fighting Keith? Yuugi barely put up a struggle so far. Could what Keith said be true? Yuugi didn't want this . . . did he?

Keith quietly laughed as he saw the battle going on inside Yuugi. Did he or didn't he? Either way now was the perfect time to trick him. Keith sunk low towards Yuugi's ear and whispered. "See? I know you want me to fuck you and don't you worry, I will. But I don't want you to hold back. All these years you've wanted someone, _anyone_, to fuck you. But you said no and turned away. I want all that lust to come out. Let go of all you're restrictions and see the true you."

Keith started nibbling on Yuugi's earlobe. Yuugi, who was caught off guard, quietly moaned while Keith's tongue caressed his ear. He couldn't hold it back. It's as if something inside him snapped. And on some level, Yuugi didn't care. He could feel warmth in his body. One he hadn't felt for a long time. It was comforting but he hated it. Yuugi opened his eyes to realize that he was reacting to what Keith was doing to him, giving him further incentive.

"NO!" Yuugi violently twisted his body. Thankfully, his legs were free and he was able to successfully kick Keith between the legs. The twenty-six year old groaned and nearly doubled over. He stood up and stared at Yuugi, anger raging like a fire.

"I tried to make you want it. I was gonna be gentle with you." Keith angrily laughed, clenching his teeth. "But now I'm gonna show you just how rough I can be. You're gonna come so hard it'll rip your dick from your body!"

Keith spun Yuugi around and pushed him up against the wall. He grabbed both of the boy's arms and bent them behind his back, pushing harder and harder. Yuugi was almost positive Keith was going to break his arms. But instead, he started to drag Yuugi to the bedroom.

He threw Yuugi onto the bed and glared at him. Yuugi got up and tried to get off the bed, but before that, Keith slapped Yuugi across the face. The boy yelped and flew back onto the mattress. He held his cheek that was now red and stared up at the man towering over him.

"That was for kicking me." Before Yuugi knew what was happening, Keith slammed his fist into the boy's stomach to knock all the wind out of him. "That had better teach you to obey me!"

XxX

Yami and the others were ordered to stay outside of the building. But Yami wasn't about to leave his lover alone up there where Keith was holding him captive. He ran up the stairs, straying away from the broken elevator. Malik told him it was the fifth floor. It took less time then he thought and when he arrived in room 506, he nearly slammed the door down and quickly scanned the room.

"NO! STOP IT!"

Yami's ear burned as he heard Yuugi's desperate and breathless voice. He ran to where the rustling and grunting was coming from and threw the door open. The sight he saw was burned into his eyes forever.

Keith was laying on top of Yuugi, shirtless, pants opened and eyes burning with lust and anger. Yuugi's condition was worse then he thought it would be. His cheeks were flushed red, but one of them was deeper then the other and Yami could see a bruise was starting to form. His shirt had been ripped open and Yami could see bite marks dotting his chest. Yuugi's arms were pinned above his head with one hand. Keith's other hand had found it's way into Yuugi's boxers and his pants were pushed down around his knees.

Keith glared at the sudden intrusion of the teen he recognized from the picture. Yuugi turned his head to the side, weakly opened his eyes and begged for Yami to save him. He couldn't breath so no sound would escape from his throat. There was only a high-pitched whistling noise as Yuugi tried to breath.

Yami couldn't take it any more. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" He ran forward and slammed his already sore shoulder into Keith's side. If he were to knock anything else down with that shoulder he swore he would break it.

There wasn't any time to see if Yuugi could be moved before Keith got up again. Yami picked him up and ran out of the room as fast as he could. He whispered gently to the boy as they ran. "Yuugi, I'm so sorry. Please hang on! It'll be ok! Don't leave me!"

He met the police on his way down. They split to either side of the stairwell and one of them yelled that an ambulance was on its way. Yami said nothing, as he was too concerned on getting Yuugi to safety. He just hoped that the police would be able to restrain Keith. As long as Yuugi was safe . . .

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	18. Never Alone

Masami: (deep sigh) ok, let's get this over with. I want this done in one take! Let's try not to drag it out!

Yuugi: O.o ok . . .

Masami: LIGHT! (the lights turned on) Camera!

Damion: (starts filming)

Masami: ACTION!!

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Duel 5: Never Alone

Yuugi inhaled deeply. Three months had passed and today was the last day of school before summer vacation. Keith had been arrested and was sent to jail. Yuugi knew on some level it was wrong to wish for another's suffering but he couldn't help feeling satisfied that he was gone.

So much of Yuugi's life was filled with sadness and pain. But Marik is dead, Keith is in jail, and Yami had his arms wrapped around him. He was in love and nothing was going to change that. Yami gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "What are you thinking about, love?"

Yuugi let out the breath he was holding. "Oh I don't know. Something. Anything. I'm not even sure anymore."

"Whatever comes to mind?" Yami offered as an answer.

He paused. "I suppose you could say that."

Yami frowned. He cupped Yuugi's cheek and pushed his face towards him. "What's wrong? You seem upset."

Yuugi smiled. "Well . . . I don't know. Everything has been pretty overwhelming." He paused. "I know it'll be all right. But . . . I guess I'm just nervous. This past year has just been so insane. I moved to Domino, I met you, you and I got together . . . then with Marik and Keith . . . so much has happened."

"Yuugi, I know you're afraid. But it's ok to be afraid. It's not always easy to face life and it's hard to be truly happy." He gave Yuugi a quick peck on the lips. "But that's what makes life so exciting; the challenge of it. Never forget, Yuugi, you always have friends. And you will _always _have me."

Yuugi smiled at him. He loved hearing Yami say that. Then Yami got up from the bed and walked over to his school bag. "I wanted to give this to you on a more proper occasion but I guess now is just as good."

Yuugi sat up on the bed when Yami returned with a thin, rectangular box. He sat beside his boyfriend and held the other's hand. "Yuugi, I know you have a fear of being alone. I know how scary the future is. But the future can sometimes be better then the present and the past. And who said you would ever be alone?"

Yami opened the box to reveal a long silver chain. At the end of it was a tiny, flat golden pyramid turned upside down. There was an eye in the center that glittered as the setting sunlight bounced off it. Yuugi stared in astonishment at the beautiful piece of jewelry. "Y-Yami . . ." He looked up at the teen. "It's so beautiful."

Yami smiled. He gently took the necklace out of the box and held the pyramid in his hands. "It's just like the puzzle your grandfather gave you before he passed away isn't it? The one you told me about? You said it was really important to you and it was your treasure. Then your stepfather took it from you and you hadn't seen it since. Mai helped me and I'll admit that. I wanted this to be a surprise for you."

His warm crimson eyes looked at Yuugi's violet eyes. He smiled, seeing tears on the others cheeks. He unclasped the necklace and held the two ends in either one of his hands. He brought it closer to Yuugi's neck as he spoke. "Think of this as a promise necklace, Yuugi. A promise that-"

He gasped and turned away. "Yami, wait. I . . ." He looked into the others eyes. "I love you so much. But . . . I'm not ready for an engagement promise. I'll always love you-!"

"And I you, Yuugi. But this isn't a promise that you and I will marry." He clasped the necklace around Yuugi's collar and slid everything into alignment. "This is a promise that we'll always be together as lovers or as friends. You will never be alone because I will never leave you. This necklace has a spell on it so it won't let me."

Yuugi's brow wrinkled. "What?"

"A part of my soul was sealed inside when it was made. Because of that, I can never leave your side for long or be too far apart. If this were to happen, I would lose all of my soul to this necklace where it would stay with you forever. So you see? No matter what I do I can't leave you. Not just because it could cost me my soul, but also because I love you too much. That's why you'll never be alone."

Yuugi gulped ever so gently. Tears were cascading down his cheeks like a river. "T-That's so beautiful."

Yami leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "It's true."

He couldn't hold back any longer. Yuugi pounced on his lover sending the two of them over the edge of the bed. Yami had the wind knocked out of him and coughed a few times. Yuugi sobbed into his boyfriend's chest. "Yami that's so sweet!! Thank you so much!"

Once more, he coughed. "Y-you're . . . welcome . . . Please . . . can't breath . . ."

Yuugi gasped and sat up, sitting on Yami's waist. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Yami laughed gently, now that he caught his breath. "It's all right, Yuugi. I'm just glad you liked it so much." He propped himself onto his elbows and smiled.

Yuugi gently held the puzzle charm in his hand. "Yami, this is . . . I can't believe you did this for me. That necklace meant so much to me, especially since it was a memento of my grandfather. But . . . Juro took it away after my mother died. I guess he sold it for money or something. I don't know what happened to it, but he got rid of it somehow. I never saw it again. But then you did this for me and . . ." He wiped away a tear. "It just means so much to me. More then you'll ever understand."

"I don't need to understand it. I just need to know that you're happy." Yami smiled. "For a little while, I was worried that you would get upset about it and be angry with me. I wasn't sure how you would react but seeing you like this now – all the happiness it's brought to you – I'm glad I did it."

Yuugi released the necklace and put his hand behind Yami's head. He leaned forward and passionately kissed Yami's lips. The teen returned the loving caress and soon both of them were completely enveloped in it. Yami rested his back against the carpet and pulled Yuugi on top of him. The boy moaned as he felt Yami's warm body slowly move on top of him as they changed positions.

Yuugi loved it when Yami dominated him. He was always so very gentle and caring. He made sure he never went too fast or did something that Yuugi didn't approve of. Each time Yami touched him, Yuugi knew he truly did love him just as he loved Yami.

Yuugi felt his cheeks turn a light red with excitement as Yami slowly lifted his cotton shirt and rubbed the skin of his stomach to elicit quiet moans of delight from Yuugi's throat. His fingers were warm with love and caution as he massaged the beautiful body below him. The tips of each digit slowly caressed his chest, occasionally running over the hardening nub.

Yuugi gasped and moaned as each touch brought more fire and warmth in his body. He wanted Yami to touch him. He wanted Yami to have him . . . But was he ready for that yet? Yuugi knew there was a difference between wanting something and actually being ready for it. Could his feelings right now only be lust? Was it something more?

Yami's mouth had departed from his and began attacking his neck with soft sucks and kisses. Gentle nibbles on sensitive areas he knew of made Yuugi mewl in pleasure. "Yami . . ."

Yuugi's eyes widened and he yelped. "S-stop. Please not there!"

Yami placed his hands on the carpet to lift himself up. "What? What's wrong, love? Did I go too fast?"

Yuugi put a hand over his neck were Yami's lips were previously. "No . . . it's not that. I'm sorry . . . There's a scar on my neck . . . it's . . . from Keith. The first time he . . . I'm sorry. If you want to keep going then I won't mind. Just not there. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. This isn't your fault. You've done nothing wrong." Yami kissed him briefly before continuing. "_I _should be apologizing to you. But you have nothing to be sorry for. You aren't at fault for what happened in your past. It's others that have wronged you. None of this is your fault. You can't blame yourself for something someone else did."

As Yami stared deeply into his eyes, Yuugi could see the love and seriousness that Yami held in his soul. It was so deep, he felt lost in all of it. He would have drowned in it if that were the case.

"Yuugi, you can't believe those terrible things about yourself. You're above all the things that people have said to you and everything they've done to you. You didn't deserve any of it. And I mean that. But no matter what happens, you'll still be Yuugi. I'll still love you. You won't ever be alone and no matter how much pain you feel I'll be there to share it with you. I know you still feel pain for what's happened. And that's ok. It's not a bad thing. Just don't drown yourself in it."

Yuugi nodded. He sniffed and wept gently. Yami pressed his forehead against Yuugi's. They both closed their eyes and laid there for a moment, Yami whispered soft soothing words to him to ease his pain. After a while, Yami stood up, gathering Yuugi in his arms and brought him back into the bed, pulling the warm blanket on top of them.

Yuugi looked into Yami's eyes again. "You have no idea how much you mean to me. I love you so much."

Yami smiled and wiped away Yuugi's tears. "I love you too, Yuugi. Always remember that. I will never stop loving you. It's ok to feel love and it's ok to be loved. Never hold back your emotions no matter what they are."

He smiled and nodded. Yuugi snuggled closer to Yami while the teen wrapped his arms around his lover. They soon fell asleep in each other's loving embrace.

--

Mai sniffed and wiped a tear. _'I think everything is going to be ok. I know Yami really does care for Yuugi. I'm glad you've found someone little brother.'_

She had heard only a small portion of their conversation, but it was enough to know just how happy Yami was making her stepbrother. As long as Yuugi was happy, Mai was happy. She knew that it didn't matter who you loved, as long as they treated you right and loved you back. That's all that really matters. Finally, Yuugi had found someone to show him just what it means to truly be happy.

Mai stood up straight and walked back down the stairs. "Hiroko-san, would it be all right if Yuugi spent the night here?"

"Of course!" Hiroko smiled. "We would love to have Yuugi-chan here anytime!"

Mai smiled. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for such late notice." She bowed. "Good night."

Leaving the Motou residence, Mai put a hand over her heart. She knew that Yuugi was safe. This was the first time ever that she left Yuugi in a building knowing he was out of harm's way. _'So this is what it's like to trust.'_

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Masami: (cries) CUT!! That's the end! I'm sorry guys, but that's the end of the story!!

Damion: (opens a bottle of wine) Woot!

Yuugi: Congratulations!

Yami: (celebrates with Damion)

Masami: I'd like to thank my actors for doing such a wonderful job, the writers and the directors-

Damion: You wrote and directed it, Masami.

Masami: And all my crew. Thanks guys! I'd also like to thank all the readers and reviewers! I had a lot of fun with this story and I hope you enjoyed it as well! Thank you for everything!


End file.
